


In the city of Angels

by VereorInHell



Series: The Stories They Didn't Tell You [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Theo Raeken is Part of the Pack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:34:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23649298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VereorInHell/pseuds/VereorInHell
Summary: How Theo goes to LA with Jordan Parrish to fight crimes and solve mysteries, even if, really, all he wants is just to go back to Liam('s bed).
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Series: The Stories They Didn't Tell You [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1633558
Comments: 7
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Also knows as: the story where everyone is awed by hellhounds and Theo isn't just a superhero's sidekick, thank you.
> 
> Please note: you should read Shadows first.

The city smells like smog and ripe trash. The humid, torrid air of deep summer nights doesn’t help either, enhancing every unpleasant scent to the point of unbearableness for the least sensitive of human noses. For a supernatural with an acute sense of smell, this is disgusting to the point of toxicity.

Theo screws his face up, squinting his eyes and curling his mouth in an expression of barely contained nausea. The urge to gag has never really died down, but at least it’s not as strong as the first day they made it to the city. Small mercy.

Initially, Parrish was as affected as Theo was, even more, probably: the officer had been really close to barf on himself, still sitting inside the parked police car. But the bastard is faring much better than his past self, now, and even better than Theo – Theo wonders if his hellhound senses have burned something in his nose, to preserve his brain from having to proceed the stinking information.

He lets his head roll back and closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. He needs to focus extra on keep out the stench and only let in actual air. Fresh air, ah, that would be but a dream. With his eyes closed, hands in the front pockets of his worn jeans, he thinks of Liam, of Scott, of what has been memorized in his brain as home and pack, whether he admits it or not. It works, albeit with not little efforts on his side. After a while, he can open his eyes again, his brain no longer focusing on the smell of his surroundings.

They arrived in Los Angeles two nights before, and really, two days and two nights in this city have been enough to confirm every memory and every suspect Theo might still have about the absolutely irony of the name for the place. How can you even call a city this filthy Los Angeles? He totally agrees with all the jokes about its real name being Los Diablos. Maybe they should rename it.

For humans it’s not that bad. Or if you’re a day-time creature, if you move through the crowded streets with the scorching sunlight, when they’re full of sweaty people, bodies moving from place to place, voices complaining about the warmth but always laughing, laughing, laughing – Theo doesn’t think he’s ever seen so many body jewelry, golden temporary tattoos, tanned bellies, tanned backs, tanned shoulders, tanned tights, all exposed to the torrid sun and non-existent air, just as to the eyes of anyone who might be interested to bother to take a look. Is it fashion? Is it freedom? Theo doesn’t know, and he really would like to ask, but his best option for this kind of conversations used to be Tracy – she would be perfect, she could talk hours about how empowering female fashion is actually repeating old, chauvinistic schemes or not.

But, well.

He pulls his lips in a thin line. Tracy is dead, they’ve already buried her body, Theo has cried a river or two of tears on her freshly covered grave, her ashes buried in a pretty urn now resting in a place that, according to Dr. Deaton and Argent has something special.

He doesn’t care. He doesn’t know anything about fengshui, he believes the men, if they tell him that it makes sense to bury her there instead of somewhere else. To be honest, he couldn’t care less. He needed a place to bury Tracy, and, with her ashes, a part of himself, his guilts, his past deeds. Everything he can shed, he’s buried deep down with her. To shelter her, to be free. He will never forget his own past, but he can be better. He has a purpose, he has a reason to live. A reason much more noble than before.

Parrish exits the seedy nightclub where he was supposed to meet a local boss. The usual kind of sleazy, oily-skinned, disgusting looking scumbag who plays informant for the police has tipped the LAPD with information about the owner of this club being involved with Alexis’ last employer. The LAPD couldn’t work on Alexis’ case – they didn’t even see reason to do so, given that the girl had died in Beacon Hill, so, when Parrish had offered to investigate the case, they have all welcomed his offer with raised hands.

Theo hadn’t been so thrilled, but, alas, here he is now.

Parrish exits stumbling and swearing. He’s wearing civil clothes but he still gives this army vibe that is probably even worse than if he wore his officer uniform. The bouncer that tried to shove him out of the club hits the wall with all his relevant weight, whimpering slightly when Parrish shove him back twice as harder. Theo snorts looking at the guy collapsing along the wall and clutching his ribs. Parrish looks innocent and proper but has a mean hook and his bones feel like they’re covered in metal.

‘Sucks to be you’ he thinks, not envying the bouncer one bit.

Parrish throws a disgusted glance at the bouncer, hunched over on the floor, shaking his head but still needing to check that he’s still alive and alright even from a distance. He shakes his head again and walks with towards Theo, with the swagger that Theo is making fun of him for, and that he won’t admit having.

Theo smirks, not caring to hide it, and Parrish scowls when he notices.

“Stop it” he orders, brisk.

“Or what, officer? You’ll arrest me for saying the truth?”

“Shut up” Parrish retorts, words empty of any threats. He fishes a small carton box from the pocket of his windbreaker and lights up a cigarette. Theo scrunches his nose, trying to block out the stench of the smoke.

He snorts: “You’re not really improving the situation, you know” he mutters through clenched teeth.

Parrish lets out a small cloud of smoke, enjoying the way the smoke burns through his throat and nose. He looks at it with longing eyes and then sighs, turning to Theo with a frown.

“Does the smell of the city still bothers you?” he asks, genuinely interested – Theo has learned that Parrish always is, when it comes to Theo’s wellbeing, he doesn’t know if it’s because he feels responsible, being the eldest one or if it’s because Theo is helping him without even being a real cop. Or if this is what Jordan Parrish behaves, anyway.

He snorts, smirking with no real meaning behind it: “You’ve stopped only after picking up this nasty habit. Really, officer, it’s really unhealthy, don’t you know?”

Parrish snorts, bumping his shoulder into Theo’s and smiling: “Shut up” he replies, slipping his free hand in the pocket of his jacket.

They walk silently side by side until they reach one of the bigger streets, not as crowded as the boulevards but still pretty full, given the late hour. Summer nights in LA means that it’s practically impossible to find empty places – but it’s better this way, with witnesses around them. Theo thinks that hiding in plain sight is the best strategy ever planned, he always goes for it.

“So, what did Mr. Sleeze tell you?” Theo asks, when they’re surrounded by a crowd big enough that nobody will actually pay them any attention – or even hear half of what they say, the music from the clubs and bars is so loud.

Parrish snorts and shakes his head: “Can you believe he picked such a dumb name? I mean, he really looks that sleazy, too” he chuckles.

Theo snorts, believing him, but otherwise doesn’t reply. Parrish inhales another drag from his hideous cigarette, obviously enjoying the feeling of the smoke in his lungs. Must be a hellhound thing, Theo decides.

“The informant was telling the truth”

“Joe Chun?” Theo asks, thinking about the awkward conversation with the LAPD informant.

Parrish nods, inhaling again another drag and spitting smoke out: “Yes. This Mr. Sleeze is a small fish, he handles a small prostitution ring, a real nice person. But he really works for the top boss that Alexis was also working for”

“Uh” Theo comments.

Alexis Sanchez, adopted by the Sanchez family at age 5 and grown up in Beacon Hill, had been born a Warren, in Los Angeles. Her mother had disappeared shortly after her birth, and Alexis’ father had done everything he could to find his wife again – but the police department had spent years looking for her in vain. When Alexis was 5, her father had been murdered in a street, his killer never found.

Theo and Parrish know something that the LAPD hadn’t, though – that they still ignore, actually, and that is that Alexis’ mother had been a succubus. Knowing that, it hadn’t been difficult to find out that Alexis’ father had really been murdered by his old wife, out for blood.

Alexis had probably never known this, but she must have been aware of her own true nature, albeit half. She had commendably abstained from feeding on humans her entire life, for which Parrish had almost put her on the pedestal of sainthood, and had been murdered a few weeks prior, by Mark Doyle.

A succubus that refuses to feed on human lives, a beautiful girl killed at age 23 by the almost canonical villain – Parrish has taken her case to heart almost immediately, and Theo still can’t really blame the guy for sympathizing for her. He obviously thinks about himself, being a hellhound, and his own struggles to help humanity instead of bringing it down. Also, Theo guesses that being a harbinger of death kinda propels Parrish to be a sort of marvel-type avenger.

And so here they are, investigating the prostitution ring that Alexis had probably fallen trap of, and that exploits supernatural creatures like succubi for degrading purposes. Theo had felt bad but thinking but, come on, it sounds like great entrepreneurship, to enslave supernatural sex-feeding creatures to provide sex: who could do it better than one of them? And if the occasional patron dies, well, it’s a criminal organization, it’s not particularly difficult to dispose of the body.

“Did you get a name?” he asks Parrish.

The officer shakes his head and smokes the last of his cigarette, walking close to a trash can to smash the butt against the metal of its lid.

“No, or, well. Not really. It’s a sort of a code name, just like Mr. Sleeze. I don’t think that’s really his name” he points out with a sarcastic expression. Theo snorts and makes a face, sharing the feeling and opinion.

“So, we know that Alexis was working for the big boss, directly. The same one that Mr. Sleeze is working for. And, I mean, can we just talk about what’s wrong with this guy, if he picks a name like Mr. Sleeze? I mean, come on”

Parrish squints his eyes and screws his face in incredulity. Theo snorts and chuckles, not able to keep it down. He totally agrees, but, well. He shrugs: “You have to admit that it’s kind of… a speaking name, you know. Like a nomen parlans. He’s a sleazy guy, he works with prostitution… hence Mr. Sleeze”

“A what now?” Parrish asks, snorting through his nose like he often does after smoking.

“A nomen parlans. It’s what you have in literature, you know, when Latin authors would make up names for their characters, and the names themselves could tell the readers what the characters were like” Theo explains, raising his eyebrow and then blushing when it’s obvious that Parrish has no idea what he is talking about.

“Ah, just, never mind. What do you know about the big boss?” he hurries to ask.

Parrish shakes his head again, willingly going along with the change in subject. He tells Theo all that he’s found out, using their code names they’ve come up with to avoid spreading sensible information in public.

Alexis was, oddly enough, working for the main boss of the city – a detail which in itself is very peculiar, given that the LAPD has explained how all the prostitution rings of the city have been assigned to smaller bosses, so that the hands of the big one are, so to speak, clean. Theo frowns – it doesn’t make sense that this guy was keeping a succubus girl directly under his leash, then. Unless he had a thing for her, or was using her personally. Which, well. Unfortunate, but would explain a lot of things.

Theo shakes his head: he’s not exactly new to this reality – whether prostitution rings specifically or more in general criminal organizations, he’s lived with the Dread Doctors for years, after all, and he’s met a lot of shady people, with and without them. Still, he’d rather deal with killers and psychotic murderers all day, rather than forced prostitution (and really, prostitution, in this kind of sense, is always forced, as Theo has unfortunately had the chance to learn).

“I had to work a lot around his bullshits, but basically Mr. Sleeze said the big boss is a supernatural. He called him simply ‘boss’, and he said that the higher you go in the hierarchy, the more supernaturals you find. No idea what he is, though”

Theo shakes his head: “Great. Exactly what I like” he mutters under his breath.

Parrish grimaces, sharing the feeling: “At least I can tell you I am the only hellhound in the city. I don’t feel another one”

Theo snorts: “Small mercies”

Parrish pulls his lips in a thin line: “I know, but…” he says, shrugging as if to say, at least there’s this. Theo nods along. They walk in silence, moving through the crowd and without a destination, just aimlessly, Parrish keeping Theo company, and Theo needing to walk in order to process the information and think. Their clothes cling to their bodies, Theo’s t-shirt glued to the small of his back, while Parrish’s white tank top has gone transparent on his chest, where it’s stretched on his pecs. When he notices, Theo wonders if that has to do with the way Mr. Sleeze has turned talkative.

He smirks to himself, but doesn’t comment on it. Parrish must have known – he’s learning to pick things from people’s scents, but Theo knows he must have not appreciated the attention.

‘Whatever’ Theo thinks. He’s still not above using his physical appearance if it brings him intel.

He clears his throat and stops abruptly, deciding that they can call it a night and go back to the room they’re sharing, even though he doesn’t particularly look forward going back to the slightly moldy, dusty place they’re renting.

“Do we have a name to go next?” he asks.

Jordan Parrish nods, his hands twitching to the pockets of his windbreaker in a visible longing for another cigarette: “Yes, he mentioned a Jane Lear. I say we run her in the system tomorrow morning, the earlier the better, and then we go see her”

Theo groans with the plan: “Another day waking up crazy early, yay”

Parrish snorts, deciding to take pity on him and not commenting on Theo’s weird dislike for early rising. Theo also notices that, although his hands keep twitching in that direction, Parrish doesn’t reach for the cigarette packet, and, most importantly, doesn’t light another one.

‘Small mercy’ he thinks.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pick a card.

Theo is lost in pleasure. The dream is so vivid that, if it wasn’t for an obscure part of his brain fully aware that this is, in fact, a dream, he would believe it true. Even so, his dream self is surprised and almost disappointed when he licks at Liam’s skin and doesn’t really taste it.

It doesn’t really matter: dream Liam moans so sweetly, it definitely makes up for the missing taste – kind of. Nothing could ever make up for missing the sweet, divine taste of Liam’s skin. Theo thinks he might be addicted. Scratch that: he knows he is. Dream Theo licks all the way down dream Liam’s chest and abs, tonguing at the perked nubs of his nipples and further down. Dream Liam moans and arches his back so softly. He slips his fingers in dream Theo’s hair, combing them back, pulling slightly, the way he’s already learned Theo likes.

Dream Theo is enjoying his dream morning blowjob on dream Liam when real Theo’s brain decides that the memory is too good but not good enough to keep indulging in it. He wakes up with a soft groan and a painful erection. He squints his eyes in the relative semi-darkness of the room, frowning in distaste, his nose hit with the smell of the dusty and moldy room. That’s when his still sleeping brain picks up on the information of another body close, and Theo blushes, pushing up on his arms into a sitting position when he notices and recognizes Jordan Parrish’s back. The hellhound is still asleep, is heartbeat steady and slow.

‘Thank god’ Theo thinks, scowling at his tensed boxers.

He growls softly at the spark of pleasure that shots through his body when he tries to move.

‘Bad, baaaad move, body. Brain, stop thinking about Liam’s dick. Stop thinking about Liam, period’

Wincing, the teenage chimera lets himself fall on his feet, hunching beside his bed. The soft thud of his bare feet connecting with the floor doesn’t bother Parrish, who barely stirs and otherwise goes on sleeping, undisturbed. Theo uncurls from his position of the floor and moves softly towards the bathroom, picking his phone up on the way.

It’s a bit less than half an hour before their alarm will start. Theo frowns, annoyed that he could have slept another thirty minutes and instead he’s here, standing in the bathroom, scowling at the tent in his boxers and trying to will it away. There isn’t even a small window in here, no way Parrish won’t know Theo has taken care of his problem as soon as he’ll step in the room.

Sighing, Theo strips and starts the shower, gingerly sliding under the freezing jet. It’s unpleasant, but at least it’s effective, getting him rid of his problem in slightly less than 3 minutes. He turns the water to lukewarm as soon as he’s sure he won’t pop another boner, and properly soaps up. He’s barely done with the rinsing process that the alarm from Parrish’s phone goes off. Theo dries himself roughly and wraps the towel around his chest. Back in their room he finds one very sleepy hellhound, squinting around and rubbing at his eyes with the back of a hand.

“Mmmornin” Parrish grumbles with the deepest growl Theo has memory of ever hearing from him, and then disappears in the bathroom.

Theo rummages in his bag, picking a clear blue tank top and a pair of bermuda jeans shorts. He knows better than cladding long jeans with the temperature LA reaches during sunny daytime.

After fifteen minutes he and Jordan Parrish have left the room and are in the anonymous car they are using for this case, on their way to the police station. Parrish is in civil clothes again, having decided to shed his uniform since after the initial introduction with his LA colleagues. He’s wearing a white tank top with a V neck cut so open even Theo would find difficult to wear during the day: it must have to do with hellhounds’ scarce adapting ability to warm weather, but Theo still marvels at the absolute nonchalance Parrish is proving by donning a shirt so… well, barely existing. Theo would probably feel violated by half the stares Parrish will attract during the day.

‘I could wear one in a club, though’ Theo thinks, grinning to himself and hiding it behind a hand.

Parrish throws him a curious glance, eyebrow raised and questioning smile. He’s picked up Theo’s scent. He’s a fast learner, that must be said: Theo kind of misses how easier it was to be around Jordan Parrish when he didn’t have to bother tuning his emotions down around the hellhound, but that definitely makes working with him now much easier, let alone safer.

At the station they walk straight to Madison’s office, the petite brunette lady who still manages to look really pretty even with black, hipster-like thick-rimmed glasses. She works with archives and must have done the devil some favors in exchange for which Satan has obviously granted her magic skills with any type of computers. The station is full of stories where she cracks and hacks literally anything informatic, her polite smile and meticulous determination solving so many cases it’s incredible she’s still not gotten herself promoted.

Madison ‘call me Maddy’ Browns listens to Parrish’s every words, her dark, focused eyes only from time to time slipping down onto Jordan’s admittedly sculpted, very bare chest, hurrying back up to his face. She nods along it all, and Theo wonders if she’s nodding at Parrish looking hot or if she’s really following what he’s saying.

“Ok, I’ve got this. You and Theo go get yourself your coffee. Come back in ten” she tells them, and starts typing something on her keyboard.

They leave the room and march towards the coffee machine, Theo snorting so low it’s no surprise that only Parrish hears it.

“What?” the officer asks, half turning from where he’s holding his cup under the filter, waiting for it to be filled.

Theo shakes his head and nods back to Madison’s office: “I’m impressed with her attention skills” he smirks: “she was eating you up with her eyes, I didn’t think she was also really paying attention to what you were actually saying”

Parrish snorts, the machine beeping and distracting him from commenting. He offers Theo the first cup ready and sets to fill the second one. Theo thanks him with a nod and takes a small, cautious sip. Good thing: the coffee isn’t particularly good, but it’s definitely hot.

Madison calls them back after eight minutes and thirty-two seconds – they measured it on Theo’s phone. Theo beams at mouths ‘I won’ to Parrish before preceding him into the brunette’s officer, Parrish snorting softly.

“You can find your Jane Lear at this address. She doesn’t have any precedent but she’s obviously in the money laundry system. You will know as soon as you’ll see her shop. Anyway, she looks more like the type that has fallen into a game bigger than her and doesn’t know how to come out of it, rather than an evil crime lord. Have fun!”

They set the address Madison gives them on the navigator and drive their anonymous, dark blue Ford towards it. They park as close as they can but still far enough they can be sure nobody will trace the car, and walk the rest of the way.

Jane Lear’s shop, the one she uses to cover for her money laundry activity, is, in fact, a Chinese laundry. When Theo sees it he refuses to believe it and throws a glare at Parrish, eyes wide and silently asking, ‘Really?!’

The hellhound shrugs and smirks, obviously sharing his opinion. How stereotypical is this lady? A laundry place to cover up for her underground, undercover money laundry activities: this is straight from a movie or a book set in the Fifties.

‘Probably even before’ Theo snorts to himself.

“Maybe this is her hiding in plain sight” Parrish mutters, leaning close to Theo’s face.

Theo wiggles his eyebrows, looking at the shop. Maybe. There are a few cameras watching the entrance, but they don’t look out of place, still justifiable as security for the shop itself. A big guy inside is working the register, looking bored to death and handing random customers tickets as they bring clothes to them. Your typical smell of cleaning products and ironing steam fills the place and reaches Theo even with the flimsy door still closed.

“Ready?” he hears Parrish asks. When he turns, the hellhound wiggles his eyebrows at him and grins. Theo grins back. They step in, side to side, shoulder against shoulder, and Theo wonders if they, too, look a bit like criminals. Parrish’s moves scream military, but his clean face without the police uniform is not enough to guess what he works for. The ragged shirt and the low canvas pants contribute to the illusion of former military gone rogue now, possibly working for some shady organization too. As for Theo – well. He’s only very recently stopped doing so.

Inside, the place is all white walls and relatively clean. It’s empty, saved for a bench near the front window wall for customers to sit on while they wait. The counter with the register is wooden, painted white, the paint still looking relatively fresh even if it’s chipped on the bottom corners. The expected scents assault Theo’s brain through his nose, and he quickly bats his lashes to get rid of the effect.

The noise inside are as expected as the smells: machines working, wet clothes tumbling while they roll, people walking. There is a low, never ended stream of murmuring voices, muttering in a language that Theo can’t recognize past its sounding Asian.

When they enter, the big guy at the register counter scowls their way and turns to shout something in Chinese at the back. At least Theo thinks it’s Chinese. He’s not exactly good with languages, but it would be consistent with his previous assumption. Also, it’s a Chinese laundry place, as the waving, golden cat and the shop sign painted red prove.

The big guy is human, half covered in tattoos under the sweaty shirt he wears. The shorter, Asian guy walking through the plastic tents and stepping in the room is not. Theo tries not to frown or hiss or anything.

‘God, I hate werecats’ he thinks to himself.

Big guy and short guy talk, big guy with his noisy, loud voice and gesticulating more and more, short guy scowling at him with vicious eyes and a low, sarcastic tone. At some point, short guy must tell big guy to scram, because big buy does exactly that, although he doesn’t look too happy about it.

Short guy pins his dark eyes on Theo and Parrish, and, once he’s sure he has their attention, he lets the irises glow. Theo almost snorts at the show of power. Parrish’s scent goes a little confused, and he turns to Theo with a raised eyebrow, as if to ask what is expected of them after that.

Theo shakes his head and shrugs, going back to the werecat behind the counter.

“We’re not going to flash eyes just to entertain you in this pissing contest” he states.

The werecat switches the irises off, eyes going back to their normal dark. Whatever hierarchy cats have, Theo can guess this one can’t have a position very high, if he gives his secret away so easily.

“What are you here for” he asks, although it sounds more like a statement than a question. Parrish snorts and throws Theo an amused glance, clearly thinking if this guy is for real. He sounds so stereotypical, how can anyone take him for serious?

“We’re here to see Jane Lear” Theo answers honestly.

The werecat must not like that because he hisses at them. Theo is about to growl him into submission but Parrish precedes him, taking one single step forwards, growling deep with glowing eyes flames flashing from under his shirt. The werecat is shocked into silence and takes a step back, paling a little bit. He opens his mouth but doesn’t have the chance to talk, a loud, feminine voice ringing from the back.

He looks conflicted, his eyes darting towards the plastic tend separating the two spaces of the room. The feminine voice says something again, in the same Asian language. Short guy doesn’t like it but he squares his jaw to do the bidding of what obviously must be his master. Mistress?

“Come in the back” he says. They follow him in the back, walking past workers hunched and bent over clothes to iron, fold or repair, all carefully avoiding eye contact. This side of the room is just as white as the part for the customers, but here the paint is all chipped and ruined. Some of the machines look rusty, others fare in better state, the white paint still fresh.

In the eerie sea of white there is a black door, and their werecat guide leads them exactly towards it. He knocks gently on the panel and waits. The feminine voice says something and he pushes the door slightly open. He doesn’t open it completely nor does he make a move to step in, just gesturing Theo and Parrish to do so.

Theo pushes the door open and Parrish closes it behind them.

They are in a small room, completely covered in rich wood. Every surface is polished shiny, rich shades of dark browns and reds. The furniture is low but heavily decorated with spiral and flowers motives, the petals gleaming golden and white under the dim light from a curtained window.

A lady is sitting behind a low table, resting comfortably on a big, fluffy looking pillow. She’s playing with a deck of cards, but Theo can’t figure out what game: she actually looks like she’s just shuffling them frantically, to get a specific card out. He notices that beside her there is a lot of paper works that look like they’ve been hastily thrown down from the table.

“We are sorry to interrupt you ma’am” Parrish starts, nodding in direction of the papers.

She makes a dismissive sound and waves her hand, motioning them closer and to sit on the two pillows on their side of the tale.

“Please, take a seat. We don’t receive visits from the guardians of the underworld very often. Please”

Theo keeps himself from snorting and tries his hardest not to look at Parrish at that. They sit at the table, mirroring the lady. She throws the cards down, covered, face down, and they spread messily.

“Please” she tells Parrish: “pick one”

Parrish raises one eyebrow and casts a curious glance to Theo. He shrugs.

Parrish picks a card. Before he takes it up, the woman asks him not to flip it and not to look at it. She touches the bottom of the card, careful to avoid Parrish’s fingers.

“I have to feel the vibes before we see the card” she says as a sort of an explanation.

She closes her eyes. Parrish and Theo exchange an amused glance, Parrish silently asking if Theo is following what’s happening and Theo shrugging, not having a clue.

“Please” the lady asks, opening her eyes and relaxing back against the wall. She looks exhausted, but not particularly scared. As if she knew this was coming. Whatever this is.

“Please, flip it”

Parrish does.

The card is the devil.

“Uh” Theo can’t help but comment, and smirks and the card. Parrish is blushing. He looks up at the lady, who is smiling, albeit tired and as if this game had somehow required a great effort from her.

“Yes, this is normally a very bad card, but, in your case, it’s absolutely normal. Every hellhound picks this card. Always. It’s how I know for sure” she says.

“You know for sure, what?” Theo asks.

She gesticulates towards Parrish: “That he’s a hellhound. You, however, you’re more difficult. Please, pick a card” she tells him, pointing at the cards still covered on the table.

Theo smirks and shakes his head: “Lady, not to sound arrogant, but you haven’t seen another like me before. Or, the chances are really low”

“Please” she insists, pointing at the cards.

Theo shrugs and picks one. He doesn’t flip it and waits for her to place her fingers on it, closing her eyes, the same trick she’s done before. She sighs and reopens her eyes, sagging back against the wall and looking even more exhausted than before.

“Ma’am, are you alright?” Parrish asks.

She nods and gestures Theo to flip the card.

It’s an angel with trashed wings.

Theo’s lips disappear in a thin line.

‘Well, that’s a good representation of what I am’ he muses.

He makes eye contact with the lady: she’s the one with the amused smile, now. When he notices, he can’t help himself and grins back.

“Good ruined into evil, but still good. You must be one of the children of the Dread Doctors” she guesses.

Theo swallows. Parrish squirms at his side.

“I am” he admits.

The old lady nods: “Yes. And you travel with a hellhound. You are obviously on a quest for justice. To right a wrong, am I right?” she asks, looking very sure of her idea.

She kind of is. Parrish nods: “Sort of”.

“Yes. This is not good for business. Well, for my business” she amends, smirking to herself. She pauses and makes a wide gesture with her open hand: “but I would be a fool if I stepped in the way of a hellhound on a quest for justice. So I will help you. Ask me three questions. More than that will be too dangerous for me”

Theo almost laughs at that. Three questions? Like a genie? He shares another amused glance with Parrish, and the officer shrugs in incredulity.

“We are after the boss of this city. We need his name. Can you tell us that?” Theo asks.

The lady shakes her head: “I cannot tell you the name. That would be too dangerous for me. I would be dead in a matter of hours. But I can send you to my godson. He can help you more with that”

“Ma’am, you’re Jane Lear, aren’t you?” Parrish asks. Theo elbows him for wasting a question, and the old lady smiles like a lazy cat. Or a shark.

“My real name is Lin Na Cheng. Hellhound, you should leave the young chimera to the questions. You just wasted your second one” she answers, having fun at their discomfort.

Theo thinks about a third question. This woman is human, but she’s obviously a seer. She said she can’t reveal the name of the big boss, but that isn’t too bad, chance is that she doesn’t even know it. And she’s given them the name of someone who might help them – although, her godson? So, her godson can tell them more than she does? Is he higher in the hierarchy?

‘Is it worth asking? I should ask her if I can trust her. With this information only, obviously. But…’

He bites his lip and immediately lets go. It makes him think of Liam.

“Are we looking in the right direction?” he asks.

Parrish frowns, not understanding how this can be considered a good, last question, but the old lady smiles like a Cheshire cat, smirking in satisfaction and nodding along with Theo’s choice.

“You are a good one. You will be good at this” she tells him, and picks up her cards again. She shuffles them again and offer five to him, face down, again. This time she hold onto them, so Theo has to slide one from her grasp.

He places it face down on the table but she impatiently gestures at him to flip it. He does: it’s the sun.

She snorts and smiles at him: “Yes. You are”

Xxxxx

They leave the laundry shop with no hurry. Lin Na Cheng tells them to come back, invites them for tea and cards reading, when their mission is over, but invites them to please enter from the back, next time.

“It’s not good for business, otherwise” she explains.

Parrish waits till they’re in the car before chuckling and shaking his head with a fond, but incredulous look: “That definitely goes in the list of weirdest things that have ever happened to me”

Theo smiles, agreeing.

“And by the way, did you hear her? We are definitely superheroes on a quest now” Parrish smiles, all happy with what he considers obviously a personal achievement.

Theo shakes his head, sighing in defeat: “You are unbelievable. There’s no way I will stop you now, is there” he asks, although he doesn’t really need the beaming smile he receives to know the answer.

“Hey, if you don’t like Batman and Robin for the subtext thing they’ve got going on, you can always pick another one, you know” Parrish offers after a moment of deep thinking.

Theo snorts: “Oh, thank you! That is a very nice idea! Only, uhm, let me think about it: Captain America and Bucky? Nope, even worse. Superman? Doesn’t even have a sidekick. And, also, why am I supposed to be the sidekick? I’m the one who knows how to make the right type of questions! You’re just muscles in this, Jordan. I, instead, am Brain” Theo finishes, gloating.

Parrish opens his mouth to protest but stops, thinks of something and beams again: “What about Pinky and the Doctor?”

“You can be Pinky if you want but you’re never going to call me a Doctor, thanks” he deadpans.

Jordan deflates, blushes and smiles timidly: “Right, sorry. Never mind! I’ll think of something” he promises, glad that Theo hasn’t take offence at the mention of the Dread Doctors.

They call Madison and ask her to run Mrs. Cheng’s godson in the system, to know what kind of wasps’ nest they’re walking into. Which is good, because Jake Talent, born Jiang Tian, is a professional boxer. A professional, underground boxer who fights in illicit competitions that usually entail fighting to death.

“Wait, what?” Parrish exclaims, when Theo reads that details out loud.

Theo shares the feeling. Wait what indeed. Madison also explains that Jake Talent has some small precedents but has never been arrested for serious causes, although he can be imputable for murderers given the type of sport he practices. He’s always been backed up by his employer, though, Mr. D.

“No, seriously. What is wrong with this people? Mr. Sleeze first and now Mr. D.?!” Parrish shouts, in a very high, very disbelieving voice.

Theo laughs and couldn’t agree more: “Oh my god, please let he be a black person. I need him to be black. It’s so fucking stereotypical!”

Parrish snorts: “Well, I don’t know. It could be a transgender” he points out.

Theo’s eyes go wide in elation, and he nods: “I can’t believe this city. I can’t believe this fucking city!” he chants, shaking with laughter. This time it’s Parrish the one nodding along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any suggestions for the superheros thing, please leave a comment!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atonements: echoes of the past.

The place where they have to go to find Jiang Tian, AKA Jack Talent, is an absolutely not-suspicious looking gym, not really, no, set inside a readapted manufacturing plant. The smell of sweat is strong and the bad rap music filtering through dirty, broken windows isn’t enough to cover the heavy chemical smells that still linger after years this place has been abandoned.

Most of the space is empty and there is an honest to god fighting ring, raised from the ground and looking almost as a huge pedestal of violence, and, occasionally, death. The air inside smells like pain, anger and blood: human and supernatural.

The gym is empty. There is only a man, sitting on a bench near the ring, looking like he’s waiting for someone – obviously, them, given the way his head perks up when they step in. Even sitting he looks tall and big, his muscles not exactly hidden under his t-shirt. He has honey colored skin and aqua eyes, and traits that scream Caribbean roots.

He’s also a werewolf.

Theo and Parrish stops a few meters from him, hands in the front pockets of their jeans, looking relaxed but ready for a fight, if one comes. The guy stands up and takes a big sniff, obviously trying to pin their scents. His eyes widens and he nods when he understands what Parrish is.

He flashes bright blue eyes at them and a grin that’s polite but shows the tip of his fangs.

“Aunt Cheng said a hellhound was coming” he starts. He has a booming voice, but not unfriendly: “she said not to piss off fate”

Theo smirks, noticing the way Parrish rolls his eyes.

“Really, I’ve never heard this much recognition, ever” he mutters under his breath.

“You must live in a place without seers around you, then” the werewolf says.

Theo shrugs: “We have a banshee” he replies.

The wolf shakes his head: “Naa, those don’t count. Everything is normal for them”

Parrish snorts, agreeing.

“So, you’re Jake Talent, aren’t you?” Theo asks, even if he already knows.

“And you’re the prodigious child the Dread Doctors brought up. What’s your name?” he asks. Again, he doesn’t sound unfriendly and he’s not issuing a challenge, just politely evening the ground after Theo showed some knowledge over him.

Theo understands, although he doesn’t really agree with the definition the werewolf has used.

He shrugs and smiles: “I wouldn’t really call myself that, but… I’m Theo”

The wolf nods: “You can call me Jiang. It’s my real name. Though you probably know that already” he says, looking straight into Theo’s eyes even if he hides it with an uncaring gesture.

Theo nods.

“We’ve run your name. Had to know what was expecting us, you know” Parrish answers, shrugging almost in apology.

Theo almost bites his lip at that, and swallows nervously. They hadn’t been explicit with Mrs. Cheng, although she has probably figured out that he’s an officer and Theo is… well, working with him. Now, though, Parrish has made it crystal clear.

The werewolf nods: “How can I help you?” he asks, open and honest, entirely focused on the two of them. The intensity of that stare tells Theo that he can trust this guy, at least to reveal information against the ring he works in.

“We need names. Are you sure this is a conversation we should be having in a place like this?” Parrish asks, nodding to the open space.

The werewolf shrugs: “Listen, you will hear no heartbeats but ours, we are alone”

“What about cameras?” Theo asks.

The werewolf frowns: “There isn’t any” he answers, but his voice falters from mid-sentence, as if he wasn’t sound so sure of something he’s always taken for granted. He pauses and looks around, then nods and grimaces.

“Follow me” he amends.

He walks in silence towards one of the small offices in the back, Theo and Parrish following. Inside there is only a cheap, plastic table with four chairs around it. They look uncomfortable, like only hospital ones can be worse. Jake grabs a chair from one side of the table, gesturing to them to do the same with the two on the other side.

“What do you want to know?” Jake asks again.

Parrish opens his mouth but Theo kicks him from under the table, taking the lead in his stead. He bends forward, elbows on the table and hands clasped together.

“We want to know the name of whoever is behind the prostitution ring that specializes on succubi. Do you know anything about that?”

Jake curls his lips and shrugs with his head: “Well, I’m not exactly close to that kind of thing. Sure, I see one girl or two from time to time, but… you see, I’m a boxer. Sometime I’m asked to play bodyguard and watch over some girl, especially if they’re working in the streets. You know, there’s literally every kind of assholes out there. I don’t like to do that, don’t like what I have to see. It’s too much shit, even for me. And I kill in that ring” he says, pointing with his thumb towards the closed door.

He sighs: “but, you see… I’m good at protecting the girls. So I do it, when I’m asked. I never protest”

“Do you know if any of those girls were succubi?” Theo insists.

Jake shakes his head: “I am not one hundred percent sure, but I think they never were. They always smell human”

Theo nods, taking in the information. This is consistent with his theory: the succubi ring is a specialized one, kept separated from the human one. Probably so that girls don’t help each other out, and potentially also because of clientele type.

“You look very eager to help us. Why are you doing it? Aren’t you afraid of being in trouble?” Theo asks, placing it slightly like a challenge.

Jake Talent shrugs and smiles, relaxing in the plastic chair. He looks even bigger and more dangerous, but there is something tired in his face that feels out of place on the face of someone so young and strong.

“I’d do anything to piss Mr. D. off. He’s a bastard. He covers my ass with the cops every time, but I risk my life for him. And if by helping you guys I can rock the ground from under his feet and the ones of some higher bastard… hell, you don’t even have to ask” he drawls.

Parrish and Theo nods, but don’t comment. Jake snorts slightly and his smile turns sour: “I mean, don’t get me wrong. This ship is too big, you won’t wreck it. But you can make a lot of people feel uncomfortable. That’s good enough for me”

“Why?” Theo asks: “What’s in it for you?”

“Nothing” Jake answers, readily, then he pauses and adds: “I have something I need to make amend for. Aunt Cheng read her cards to me, told me I’m going to get myself killed if I do. But I don’t care. There isn’t much life for me either, right now. What can I do? I don’t have nothing, I can’t have nothing. What I had, I lost it, and I risk my life every night I step into that right. No, Theo, you can’t get it. But I need to atone for something and this is the only way. I don’t care if it costs my life”

Silence. Theo nods, thinking.

“You know, you probably won’t believe me, but I actually do. Better than him” he says, tipping his head towards Parrish. The officer rolls his eyes muttering something along the lines of ‘this, again’.

Theo clears his throat: “So, whatever your reasons are, fine, it works for us. We appreciate all the help you can give us”

“And if there is something we can do to, you know, keep you from committing suicide, tell us” Parrish adds, almost as a joke.

Jake snorts a laughter through his nose: “Well, maybe don’t go around telling people I’m the one who told you. I mean, they’ll know it, eventually, but…” he shrugs, his smile opening into that almost resigned expression from before. Theo likes it better than the sour one.

“Ok, so, you don’t know any succubus girl?”

Jake Talent shakes his head: “No, but probably Mr. D. does. His real name is Ndjaneba, by the way. Ndjaneba Mikeyo. He used to work as a pimp, but it was a long time ago. And I think it was only human girls. He’s human, and he doesn’t know I’m not” he explains.

Theo nods along, wondering how the hell can a human not notice when two supernaturals fight.

“His boss, though, I’m sure she knows more. I’ve seen her once: she’s a werewolf, an omega. Like me” he adds, flashing a small smile.

Theo nods: “What’s her name?”

“Audrey. Audrey Sambe. She administers the fighting rings. From what I’ve heard, she was disowned by her old pack and started working for this shitty system a long time ago. She’s old, even if she doesn’t look older than me”

“How old are you?” Parrish asks, curious.

“Twenty-three next August” Jake answers, smiling that patient way you would with a child.

Parrish doesn’t reply and doesn’t ask any more question. Theo is glad for it. Jake Talent is twenty-three, has already lost his special someone he could have spent his life with, and currently lives fighting to the death strangers every other night. That sounds sad, and terrifyingly like something Theo himself has risked for himself.

He’s never been happier for finding Scott. And Liam.

They thank Jake Talent and exchange phone numbers. Theo gives him his real one, not bothering with a fake, or with one that’s surveilled by the police. He knows that, after helping them, Jake Talent’s life has lost any worth that had left. If the guy needs help, he wants to be the one picking up his damn phone.

Xxxxx

Later that day Theo and Parrish find themselves walking in the busy streets of night-time Los Angeles. Two guys from the station have suggested them a nice Thai place they can go for dinner, and they eat perched on high stools on a shelf against the wall.

Madison is running Audrey Sambe in the system for hours, and still hasn’t found where Theo and Parrish can go find the mysterious werewolf woman. Madison sounded very frustrated last time they’ve checked in with her, and they have safely decided not to bother her or piss her off before she’ll come to them with an answer.

That’s when Theo’s phone rings.

He swallows his bite of food, almost choking on it for the surprise and hastily makes a move to get it out of his pocket, but it stops ringing before he can. It has rung barely twice.

It’s Jake Talent.

Theo calls him back immediately and pushes the phone against his ear, waiting impatiently. Parrish technically still doesn’t know who Theo is calling, but he can guess.

When someone picks the call, Theo doesn’t wait to hear them speak. The heavy, pained breathing is enough.

“Jake?”

“Look in the sewers, Theo. She liked the Doctors” Jake Talent says, and then silence falls.

“Jake? Jake!” Theo calls, raising his voice and attracting attention from some of the closest patrons. He flees outside the restaurant and tries to reach Jake again, but no sound comes from the other side.

Not even breathing.

He swallows, closes his eyes, focus his hearing. There is a heart, beating. Slow. So slow. So slow.

And then nothing.

It’s stopped.

Theo sighs, eyes still closed. Parrish has reached him, places a hand on his shoulder, telegraphing his movement so that he won’t startle Theo. He opens his eyes and looks up, meeting the hellhound’s gaze. There is an implicit question that he doesn’t need to ask.

Theo close the call and puts his phone away. He clears his throat and nods.

“I guess he atoned” he mutters, looking between his feet.

“Do we know where to look?” Jordan asks, gently.

Theo nods, sighing and meeting his partner’s eyes again: “Yes. She’s in the sewers”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dig in, dig into.

Contrary to the belief commonly spread among those who know Jordan Parrish, he is, yes, a responsible person, very diligent and respectful of the law, but this doesn’t mean that he, himself, is particularly cautious. Actually, he tends a bit on the reckless side, especially since learning that he’s a supernatural creature.

Theo can’t really blame him – being burned alive in your car and finding out in that particular predicament that fire doesn’t kill you would shock even the strongest of the minds, and, if this is what’s pushed formerly very careful Jordan Parrish into recklessness… well.

It’s just that he can’t put together the image of Parrish, pawing the ground to immediately go raid the sewers looking for an omega werewolf leading a fighting ring, with the picture that Sheriff Stilinski always draw of the guy: a poised, rational person who thinks before acting.

There just is no commonality between the two.

At least Theo won, and now they’re back in their room.

“We could have taken them” Parrish has argued for the entire ride back.

“No, we couldn’t have, we don’t even know what we would have found, Jordan” Theo has replied every single time, each time stressing more and more on the name as if it was an insult. It might have started to sound like ‘you dumb idiot’ at some point, but Theo feels nobody could really blame him.

This is how they find themselves back in their room. Parrish is showering, Theo is already in bed, wearing only his boxers and picking at his discarded night t-shirt. Jake Talent’s last words echo in his head, spinning around and dizzying him.

Jake wanted to atone. So had Theo. But now Jake is dead, and Theo isn’t.

He throws a glance to the closed door of the bathroom. Parrish is showering but he will be done soon. And then he will be here, in the same room as Theo, perfectly able to smell every change in his scent. He slips his jeans shorts back on, his shoes and the t-shirt, rapping on the bathroom door.

“What” Parrish calls from under the shower spray.

“I’m going downstairs a moment, I need to make a call” Theo says.

“Ok” the other answers. Theo walks down the stairs, his shirt in one hand and typing at the other with his phone. A couple of girls going his opposite way giggle when they think he’s far enough. That’s Theo’s clue that putting the shirt back on might be a good idea, and as soon as the text is sent he slides the shirt on. He walks a bit along the alley right beside the hotel, leans against a wall and fishes his phone back out.

It starts vibrating right then. Theo swipes the green icon and takes the call. The night is humid and hot, the slight breeze almost chilly on his skin, sweaty again. He’s got goosebumps and he almost shivers when he hears the voice on the other side.

“Theo! Hi, how are you? Is everything ok?” Liam asks, hastily.

Theo smiles into the night: “You’ve literally just asked me these questions and I’ve just told you I am fine” he points out.

Liam chuckles: “Yes, but, are you fine, fine? Or are you, fine, fine?”

“You say it like there is a difference”

“That’s because there is” the blond werewolf replies, smooth, and Theo smiles again.

“I’m fine” he repeats: “I don’t know how that works with your measurement system, but, I am fine. Fine fine”

Liam chuckles. Theo shivers again.

“Good. I’m glad. You sound fine fine, too”

Theo snorts: “Good” he echoes.

“Did something bad happen?” Liam asks, calm and careful. Theo closes his eyes. He can almost see him, his werewolf, his blond, beautiful boyfriend, and he smiles. He’s probably blushing – good thing Liam isn’t seeing him.

“Sort of. A guy helped us… and he died for that. He was…” Theo shakes his head: “I was on the phone with him when he died” he explains.

“Oh Theo, I’m sorry” Liam says: “are you upset?”

Theo snorts: “I don’t know. No. I guess. I mean, why would I be upset, right?” he blabbers.

Liam snorts, in his absolutely endearing way: “So you’re upset. Theo, for your information, it’s absolutely normal to feel upset, if someone you like dies on you. That’s… human”

‘I guess I’m definitely over being barely human, am I?” Theo thinks.

He sighs, scolding himself for hanging on Scott’s past words even now, when he knows they’re no longer true. He shakes his head, trying to go for honesty.

“I guess. He was ok. I’m sorry he died. He… he told us this story about needing to make amend for something, you know? I guess…” he tries, but he stops, because there is no way he can bring himself to say ‘I guess I saw myself in him’ on the phone, in the middle of the street. Alley. Whatever.

Liam doesn’t need to hear it either. He sighs in a knowing way.

“You’ve made amend yourself, too, you know?” he points out.

“I do” Theo replies, slightly in a hurry: “I know. I just… I could, you know? And I’m still alive. I’m just… I’m sorry, I guess” he tries again. This time sounding a bit more explicit. More than this he won’t even attempt.

“You did. And you’re alive, yes. And I’m very glad you are”

Theo snorts to cover a chuckle. Liam doesn’t bother hiding his smile: “What? You don’t believe me? You don’t believe I’m happy that you’re alive?”

Theo snorts again: “Oh, I know you’re happy alright. You made your point in a rather obvious way, last time”

Liam hums: “Wait, which time are you referring to? Are you talking about when I fucked into unconsciousness, or when I made you beg so much you’ve started crying?”

“Oh my god, Liam” Theo whispers, blushing madly and covering his face with his hand: “I’m in the middle of the fucking street”

“Oh, that’s great, so I can play with you a bit!”

“Liam, don’t you dare” Theo warns him, stern.

“Uh-uh, you’re just being coy, Theo. If you didn’t want me to tell you about this, you would have already dropped the call. Do you miss me this much?”

‘Fuck you’ Theo thinks: ‘I do’.

He sighs, turning his back to the empty alley and leaning against the wall with the top of his head.

“I do” he whispers in reply.

Liam hums softly: “Oh, boy. I like where this is going. Do you miss me, Theo, baby?”

“Don’t call me that” Theo replies, with no fire, automatically.

“Why not? You like it when I call you that” Liam chuckles, his voice dropping lower: “in fact, I think I remember that’s exactly what made you come last time, wasn’t it?”

Theo’s breath hitches in his throat, his cock stirring in his pants.

“Holy shit Liam” he whispers.

“Mmmm, see? I thought so. Did I get you hard for me, Theo? Just at calling you baby?”

“Fuck you” Theo answers, which is the perfect equivalent of answering yes.

Liam chuckles again: “Uh, I did, didn’t I? Oh, Theo, I hate Parrish so much right now, you know? I could still have you here, in my bed, naked, on my sheets… you look so good like that, you know? Although, I mean, you look beautiful on any kind of sheets, when you’re naked”

Theo moans softly: “Do I now. I’m glad”

Liam hums in agreement: “You do. Remember, last time? When you were lying on your back, all sweaty and eyes blown? With your legs open for me, begging me to fuck you?”

He does. He remembers, all too well. He swallows a mouthful of saliva, his free hand slipping down to his crotch. He doesn’t want to grind against it, he doesn’t mean to – but the feeling of the flat of his hand against it is so good that he inadvertently moans softly in the night.

“Fuck Theo, are you that hard already? Are you touching yourself?” Liam asks, sounding husky.

“I – I didn’t mean to” Theo confesses, but he does it again, and it’s so good, he moans softly again, rocking his hips forwards: “fuck, Liam… I’m not rubbing one in the street”

“Isn’t there somewhere you can go to?” Liam asks. Theo hears movements and shuffling around, and he can’t see Liam, but he knows him enough to know that he must be doing something – and it’s the something that he needs, that he’s desperately curious to know.

“Liam, what are you doing?” he asks, voice low.

“Mmm? Oh, I’m lying down, and I’ve just reached for my cock. You know, it’s getting hard for you just at hearing you, moaning from the phone” Liam answers, playfully and honest, and Theo might be close to have an orgasm or a stroke – funny, he hasn’t even touched himself, basically.

If you don’t consider the fact that he’s still grinding his hand on his clothed cock, that is.

“Liam, fuck…. I can’t be that close already” he swears, incredulous and panting.

“Mmm… I know, right? I mean, this is terrible phone sex. We aren’t going to last even ten minutes. How can people do this for hours?”

Theo moans, imagining doing this with Liam for hours.

“Oh god”

Liam moans as well. Theo can hear him stroking his dick, the movements growing wet.

“Oh god Liam, Liam, I want to suck you off so badly”

Liam chuckles, but his breath hitches mid-way and he moans, louder than Theo has till now: “Oh, Theo, if you were here, if only you were here… you’re so good, you know? You suck it like it’s an art”

Theo snorts at the praise and moans again, quieter: “That’s because you’re so good I could eat you right up”

“Mmm, if you want, I’m not going to complain. You can even fuck me, while you’re there”

Theo’s breath stutters and his hand presses harder. He closes his eyes, panting with his mouth open: “Would you let me?”

“Fuck, yes, Theo” Liam whispers, the sounds of his jerking movements louder and wetter, and Theo doesn’t care, he slides his hand under his boxers and closes it around his cock, pushing his pants down enough and stroking only the few times that he needs to reach his peak.

Liam comes with a bitten off cry, Theo groans silently against the wall, his hips rocking. He’s painted the wall white.

He blushes.

Liam mutters something, content and sated.

“So, are you feeling better?” he asks playfully, after a moment.

Theo snorts. He holds his phone between his cheek and shoulder and tucks himself back into his pants. A quick check tells him that he’s alone, no trace of human or supernatural creatures around. Of course, he can’t do anything about security cameras, but he hasn’t seen any, last time he’s checked.

“I do” he admits, smiling despite himself: “thank you, Little Wolf”

“Anytime, Theo” Liam answers. They bid each other good night and close the call.

Theo puts his phone away and starts walking to the entrance of the hotel. He stops after a few steps, realizing that he can’t go back upstairs like this, Parrish is bound to know what’s happened. Chances are that his police self will make him feel compelled to give Theo a pep talk for indecent exposure, which Theo doesn’t particularly look forward to. Neither does he long for Parrish laughing at him.

He decides for a quick walk, and to wash his hands on his ways back to the hotel. He texts Parrish, anyway, because he doesn’t want an angry hellhound chasing after him, worried for his sake.

Parrish replies with a cryptic ‘stay safe’, which Theo ignores because, really, Jordan? Why don’t you act what preach? Who was the one wanting to go chase unknown werewolf omegas in the sewers not even two hours ago?

He snorts, walking aimlessly in the streets. He’s unintentionally taken the seedy alleys walk, judging from the groups of girls popping up at every corner, dressed up in skimpy clothes, some even directly in bikinis.

They’re all humans, he notices. He wonders if the succubi are forced to walk the streets like this, or if they are kept in a club, where the eventual death of a patron they feed too much on could be kept wrapped up. He’s not even sure they’re even forced, actually – he hasn’t told Parrish yet, but he’s started to ask himself, if I was a sex-feeding supernatural creature, and if I needed money, what would I rather, work at a McDonald’s where my boss gropes my ass, or have sex and feed while I’m at it?

So, yeah. Perspectives. Although, from what Jordan has found out, some of them are indeed forced into this line of work, there is no denying that. And Theo doesn’t mind helping, for their sake, even if they will turn out to be a minority.

“I agree, Theo. In fact, I can assure you, they’re not a minority”

Theo stops, startled, and for a moment he wonders if he’s going mad or if he’s really heard the voice he thinks he’s heard. Then a feminine chuckle attracts his attention, coming from the same way the voice did. He turns and sees a twelve-years old looking girl, leaning against a wall with her ankles crossed and her hands behind her back. She’s wearing too much make up, dark eyeshadows and burgundy lipstick, possibly in a futile attempt to look older, but that only enhances her childish traits. She’s wearing a very short pleated skirt and a ripped top that exposes her flat belly. She even has a piercing, dangling from her belly button.

Theo looks at her, and then he looks at her again.

“You’re twelve” he says.

He sounds disgusted, but he feels even worse: ‘please, don’t let her be a prostitute, please. This is too fucked up’

She burst her pink bubble gum and then laughs.

“Relax, I’m not. I just like dressing up” she answers.

He frowns: “Well, I’m glad, but you really have to explain me why you know what I’m thinking”

She laughs again: “That’s easy. The last thing was pretty obvious from your face, and that’s what everyone thinks when they see me. And the rest – well, I’m a telepath. Among other things”

Theo stares: “Among other things” he echoes her words.

She shrugs: “I’m a seer. Like my aunt, but better. I’m also partly a banshee, so, that explains a lot, I think” she adds, screwing up her face.

“…Am I supposed to know your aunt?” he asks, for a lack of better questions to place.

She nods: “Oh, yes, you do. Aunt Cheng? Jane Lear. You’ve talked to her, yesterday. She read you her cards?”

Theo nods: “I remember”

The girl pushes away from the wall and takes the few steps separating her from Theo: “Aunt Cheng wanted me to help you. We don’t know how much Jake managed to help you, and…” she looks down, sad, and shakes her head. Her died pigtails suddenly click into Theo’s memory – she’s done her hair to look like Harley Queen.

‘She’s fucking twelve years old and she’s dolled up like Harley Queen. How fucked up is that?’

She looks up at him with an expression that looks, for lack of better words, angry. Theo blushes.

Right. Mind reading.

“There’s nothing wrong with Harley Queen, okay? And I’d like to see how you fare, with all the voices I hear in my head”

Theo nods and apologizes.

She snorts and smiles, not her beaming smile from before, but definitely no longer looking upset anymore: “It’s ok. Anyway, Jake wanted to be forgiven, and now he’s been forgiven… but he’s also dead, and he can’t help you more than what he’s done, right? So, me and aunt Cheng were talking, and I said, you know what, I’m untouchable, I can help these guys! So, here I am”

Theo blinks: “You’re… what do you mean, you’re untouchable?”

She beams again, clasping her hands behind her back again: “I’m half banshee and full seer. I can read anybody’s mind and I know a lot about everybody. I even know what you were doing with your boyfriend not long ago, and, ew, Theo, if you two weren’t that hot I am not sure I’d be helping you”

Theo blushes even more right now. He might be gaping, too. Then he shakes his head and raises his hands in surrender: “Ok, you know what, forget I ask. Fine. You’re safe. Are you sure you will be fine, if you help us?”

“I do” she nods. Then she giggles: “Ups, sorry. It’s just, I’ve said and, in this exact moment a girl in Japan has said ‘I do’ to her boyfriend proposing to her. something these things happen – they’re crazy, but they can be cool”

Theo smiles, not really sure what to say. He guesses she has a point, although, if it works for happy things…

She nods, more serious: “Well, I try to tune the bad things out. I couldn’t live knowing every time something bad happens to anybody. I would go mad. Madder, I mean” she giggles again.

“Right. Is there a way for you to stop introducing in the privacy of my own mind or…?”

She nods: “Yes. I have to trust you. I kind of do, so I will tune it down from now on. But, just so you know, I will do a raincheck every now and then. You know, a girl’s gotta be sure”

Theo curls his lips and then shrugs: “Whatever. So, you wanted to help?”

Xxxxx

The girl insists to walk with Theo all the way back to the hotel, and nothing Theo says works as a deterrent. This isn't the first time he has to do with someone not paying him attention in the least, but it is the first time it's someone younger than Theo himself. He feels slightly humiliated, although he knows better than to even allow that thought into the chamber where his brain sorts rational thinking. 

The girl, however, just looks at him and snorts a chuckle through her nose. 

"I'm sorry, I swear I'm trying to stop. It's just… You're really funny to listen to, you know? Like, your brain works consciously on two levels. No, wait, let me explain" she gesticulates wildly with her hands in front of her face.

"Like, usually people's brains work on a conscious level and a subconscious one. There are a lot of thoughts that don't pass through. They're just filtered. So people don't realize they're thinking those things. It happens with emotions, mostly, but not only, and not necessarily. You, on the other hand… It's like you are listening to all your thoughts, anyway. And then decide which to process. You are so much more aware of what goes on in your head. It's incredible. I'm sorry if I make you feel like a freak, but... You're fascinating"

Theo snorts. 

"I'm a scientific experiment, glad to know I entertain you" he says. He censors the 'failed' part in that sentence. The girl looks at him with pursed lips that tell Theo censoring it was perfectly pointless.

"Anyway. Since I know everything about you and you almost nothing about me, you should probably know that my name is Rhiannon" she declares, changing topic.

"Rhiannon?" Theo echoes, slightly in disbelief.

She nods: "Yes. Like the Morrigan"

Theo doesn't say it, but he's always wondered if the Morrigan was an individual being or a species. He doesn't ask, and either Rhiannon was really not paying attention this time, or she doesn't want to answer, because, either way, she doesn't comment.

On her way back, she tells Theo an incredible amount of things. Mostly useless and bordering on creepy or embarrassing, but she doesn't seem to have a filter. Theo almost 'woah's her into silence when she starts the very graphic, very detailed retelling of that time that Jim from two class front kissed her with his tongue and touched her between her legs.

Rhiannon scoffs in dismissal and rolls her eyes: "Whatever. Like I haven't seen what you've done with your blond boyfriend"

Theo gapes at her, not sure what to reply to that, and tries his hardest to stave off the blushing that inevitably creeps up his cheeks. He has the feeling he's not done being rendered speechless, when he's around her.

"Are you always like this?" he asks, half rethorical and half incredulous.

She shrugs: "Depends. If you mean this awesome, yes. This omniscient, also yes. This oversharing... Well, no. I just like to see you blushing" she answers, addressing him with a giant smile. 

Theo snorts out a chuckle despite his best intentions.

"Oh my God. I don't envy your parents. Bringing you up must be the worst"

She shrugs, not looking up his way. Her scent changes slightly, spikes sour and goes back to normal almost immediately.

"Well, I'd need to have parents in the first place for that"

Theo nods silently: "Right. Sorry"

She shrugs again: "I just never had them, you know. I'm just curious how it was like" she explains, now pointedly making sure he notices her looking his way. He just nods, not really sure what to answer.

"Anyway, Jim was sooo hot, but he was a jerk. Didn't last long. Also, apparently my reactions to sex are a bit off for a normal twelve years old girl, so..." 

She shrugs, and Theo definitely doesn't ask. 

"So, what do you know about Audrey Sambe?" he asks instead, because they need a change in topic like yesterday.

She pulls her lips forward and flattens them in a line: "She's a bitch, and she's a rejected bitch. She's an omega, which you already knew. I don't remember exactly where she was from, I think Seattle? But she's changed packs a couple of times, anyway, so. Or maybe it was Boston?"

Theo hums, mulling the information. So this omega lady isn't good at bonding with her own pack. That's sad and pathetic, or the most evident sign of evil, and he can say that for experience.

"Oh, and, by the way, as I've already mentioned... I know where she lives and I will tell you, but you won't go after her tonight. You'll wait till tomorrow night" Rhiannon goes on, dropping the comment in a sort of Sharp way that makes Theo wonder just how used she is at being listened. 

She sees his curious expression and shrugs again: "Tonight she isn't even home. In the dark, smelly hole in the sewers that she calls home, anyway. There's a big meeting with all the bigger and smaller bosses tonight, you won't find her. What would it be the point of going down there then?" 

"Point taken" Theo answers, nodding.

They reach the hotel shortly after that. Theo has to quickly come up with a plan to explain why he's suddenly turning up with a twelve years old girl who looks like she's working in some shady brothel specialized in offering underaged girls – there is actually no one at the counter to ask, but he knows there are cameras in the halls and stairs. She helps him though, by simply sliding her hand into his (after he's washed them in the common bathroom on the ground floor) and calling her cousin Theo. 

Theo snorts but rolls with it. No need to think of more elaborated plans, right? Keep it simple. 

They don't meet anyone, anyway, but Rhiannon blabs about their made-up shared family throughout all the way up to Theo and Jordan's room. Which, in retrospect, is probably a good move. 

He knocks on the door and pushes it open, slightly burning his hand with how warm the handle is. He frowns at it, cradling his already healing hand against his chest, and wonders what the hell, when Rhiannon laughs and fails to hide it. 

He raises an eyebrow at her, and she just mouths, 'hellhound'. 

'Oh' Theo thinks. 

"Jordan, I'm coming in" he announces, and pushes the door open, with the tip of his foot.

As expected, there Jordan Parrish is, standing barely half a meter away from the opening door. He's scowling at the girl and flames are dancing under his skin, especially in his chest. His eyes are still their normal aqua color, but there is a swirl of yellow in them that's definitely supernatural.

Rhiannon giggles and clasps both her hands behind her back, rocking on her heels and letting go of Theo's hand.

"Wow. This is the first time I meet a real hellhound. I'm so nervous!" she whispers Theo’s way, her conspiring look clashing with the loud whisper, clearly intended to be heard mainly by the hellhound himself.

Parrish is still frowning at her. Theo rolls his eyes and closes the door. He points his made bed to Rhiannon and she trots to it, letting herself all but fall onto it. She sits up and beams their way, but her smile can’t hide the way her scent spikes up with nervousness. She really doesn’t know how to approach Parrish. If not from her scent, Theo could notice from the way she’s grown quieter.

He doesn’t have the chance to comment, however, since said hellhound is now facing him with his most intimidating scowl of disappointment, combined with fists on his hips.

“Really, Theo? Abducting children now?”

Theo rolls his eyes. Rhiannon, from his bed, fails to smother a giggle.

“She can help us. She knows where to look for Audrey Sambe. And she knows Aunt Cheng”

Parrish frowns: “You mean Jane Lear? Why are you even calling her aunt?”

Rhiannon giggles: “She’s Aunt Cheng to everybody, dummy. Jane Lear is just her code name, but her real name is Cheng. Anybody she adopts calls her Aunt Cheng” she explains.

Parrish’s frown is back in full force and directed exclusively at her: “And who are you? Theo” he turns again to Theo. His eyes are going more and more yellow, but there is uneasiness on his face, something that Theo hadn’t notices before.

Rhiannon makes him uncomfortable.

And she’s either realized that herself, or she’s heard it from Theo’s mind. Whatever the case, for a few seconds she can’t hide the hurt and shocked look on her face. She covers it quickly with another smile, but it doesn’t even look as convincing as the previous ones.

Theo sighs and sits beside her, on the bed.

“Rhiannon, meet Jordan Parrish. Jordan, this is Rhiannon. She is… half banshee?” he turns to her, the statement left hanging as a question.

‘I’m sorry if this puts you in an even more uncomfortable position’ he thinks, realizing that maybe that wasn’t the part she wanted them to focus on.

Rhiannon smiles tightly, but in a way that makes Theo suspect she’s forgiving him.

“I’m a complicated something. I’m a seer. I’m half a banshee. I’m a telepath, or a mind reader, you pick the name you want to call it with” she explains, looking directly at Parrish. The hellhound is still frowning, though now in a confused way.

“How can you be half banshee?” he asks.

“When you’re me, you can” she replies, tersely.

“No, but, I thought either you were a supernatural or you weren’t. How can you be only half banshee?” Parrish insists.

Theo shots him a hard glare, screaming in his mind to just drop it. Unfortunately, the only one picking up on that is the girl herself. Rhiannon sighs, smiles to Theo, and turns again her full attention to the dense hellhound in front of her. She looks less intimidated and more annoyed right now.

“First of all: if your parents were a werewolf and a werecoyote, you can turn out either one, or the other, or a mashup of both. It happens, you know. You don’t need to be an engineered chimera like Theo here” she starts lessoning, gesticulating a hand in front of Theo.

“And before you ask, no, Theo didn’t tell me a thing. I’m a seer, I’m a mind reader: you don’t need to tell me anything, I just know” she points out, slightly smug.

Parrish grunts, neither accepting nor denying: “So what are you?” he asks. He makes eye contact with Theo and catches the glare still sent his way, and he amends, turning the assholeness down a minimum: “I mean, what were your parents?”

“Jesus, Jordan” Theo sighs, shaking his head and facepalming.

“It’s ok, Theo. Don’t worry” Rhiannon says, patting him gently on a shoulder: “You see, this it the thing. My mother was a banshee, my father was a hellhound. Both have disappeared for years, although I don’t think they died – it’s really difficult to kill hellhounds, after all. I mean, it is possible. But…” she shakes a hand in the air, back to rambling a bit.

She shrugs: “So, this is how you’re half banshee only”

“And half hellhound, too?” Theo asks, curious.

She shakes her head: “No. Apparently, I took only from my mom. Also, well… if you mash a banshee and a hellhound together, you don’t really get a banshee or a hellhound in result. Generally, you created a different thing. Which, is, well… me”

Theo lifts one eyebrow: “You, as in…?”

She looks at him the ‘duh’ way: “A Morrigan?”

Silence. Theo blinks, trying to process the information.

“So, they are a species, aren’t they?” he asks.

She nods: “I mean, there aren’t many of us, so the doubt is legitimate. I think there are less than five Morrigans currently living in the world. And, you know, it’s very rare to born one, and even rare that one dies”

“Wait, wait. What’s a Morrigan?” Parrish asks, frowning with a a pained expression: “Why did I know nothing about those?”

Theo snorts: “I didn’t know much either, if that helps. I’ve always assumed that was just the name for the Irish goddess of death”

Rhiannon nods: “It is. I mean, there was a Morrigan back in ancient Ireland who got really famous and people thought she was a goddess. Also, she predicted people’s death, so…” she shrugs.

“Made into a goddess” Theo completes her sentences, and she nods.

Parrish has gone slightly pale, and Theo feels pretty impressed, himself, too. He knew she can read minds easily, she’s given him way too much proof, but, it’s quite different, putting it the way she just did. He can see why she didn’t look particularly eager to explain the details of her nature.

“What do you mean, a goddess of death?” Parrish asks again, having trouble to believe the girl.

She rolls her eyes and blushes slightly: “Morrigan sees the future, the past, the present. I can see your dreams, read your thoughts, talk to you in your sleep. And… well, I have never done it, but, technically, a Morrigan doesn’t just know when you die. They can also decide how you die. They are the only type of creature who can, basically, change your fate”

She looks at Parrish with a challenging expression, as if she dared him to call her a liar. Theo feels even more impressed, partly with what she said, partly with the way she said it. As if she didn’t like herself what she truly was, or didn’t really believe it.

Theo snorts. He knows a thing or two about not really knowing what you are, and not being sure what really is your potential and what isn’t. At least Rhiannon can count on any legends she can find on the Morrigan – Theo doesn’t even have that, and he’s very recently found out that he is, apparently more than he’s always known.

Rhiannon turns to look at him, staring with knowing eyes in an otherwise expressionless face: “Yes, that can’t be a comforting thought, either”

“Not really” Theo comments, agreeing. Parrish looks at them with a confused expression, but doesn’t push.

“Ok, so” he declares instead, straightening up and clapping his hands in front of himself. It echoes in the relatively quiet room, and almost startles the two on the bed, Rhiannon more than Theo.

“You” Parrish says, dragging the ending vowel and pointing his index fingers towards the girl: “are a small goddess of death who can read us the future. And our mind. And you know where Audrey Sambe is. Everything right up to here?”

Rhiannon makes a face but nods.

“Great. Then the big question for you is: why would you help us?”

She looks hurt, and doesn’t bother hiding it. Theo licks his lips, wondering if this has to do with the fact that she revealed her father was a hellhound – and here is another hellhound, in front of her, looking rather like an idiot. Her face is the one Theo imagines groupies make when they find out their idol is an actual idiot.

She throws him an amused glance and snorts: “No, it’s just… I’ve never met a hellhound, ok? And I barely remember my dad. All I remember is that he always knew everything. And here is this guy, looking pretty stupid, compared to how awesome the memory of my dad is” she explains, waving her hand in a belittling fashion.

Parrish opens his mouth and closes with a resounding click. Theo smiles tightly.

“Ok, I’m going to ignore that” Parrish mutters: “anyway. Answer the question. Why are you helping us?”

She looks at him with obvious distaste: “Because of you, you dumb idiot. Haven’t you noticed? I can read anyone’s mind, I can read Theo’s every thought if I want, but I can’t read yours. Only some. You’re a hellhound, you’re one of the few creatures around which I don’t have to make the effort of trying not to listen” she explains, sounding and looking rather disappointed that she has to state this clearly.

Theo raises an eyebrow: “You can’t?”

Rhiannon shakes her head: “Not as I can with you. If he wants, he can keep me out. You couldn’t. and you’re better than average, Theo, so don’t take this personally”

Theo snorts, muttering a n ‘I’ll try’ under his breath.

“Look, all is fine and good, but, you aren’t exposing yourself to a bunch of criminals just because you’d like some mental silence” Parrish insists, hands on his hips.

“Well, you obviously don’t get it, but yes, I would. That silence helps me not to go mad and lose my own damned mind. And, which criminals?” she asks, making a face that screams how little she thinks of the big bosses ruling over the city: “why would I be afraid of them? I can’t die, and I can decide when they do. They don’t want to piss me off, believe me. The day I learn their name and see how they look is the day they die. And they know. The smart ones, at least” she adds, scoffing.

“So, you don’t have anything to lose” Theo sums up.

She shrugs “You could put it that way. I also don’t like that they’ve killed Jiang like that. I want to help him, and the only way I can do that is by helping you” she explains.

She holds Parrish’s gaze for a few moments, then the hellhound nods.

“Fine, I believe you” he announces.

The atmosphere immediately relaxes: Rhiannon smiles again, and Theo exhales softly, glad.

“So, I’ll tell you where to find Audrey. But you have to wait till tomorrow night” the girl says.

Parrish nods, looking like he doesn’t really enjoy what he considers wasting his time, but otherwise doesn’t argue against it: “Wasn’t planning on going after her tonight, anyway” he shrugs, pointing to his night attire.

Theo snorts.

‘Like you haven’t spent fifteen minutes arguing the opposite’ he thinks.

Rhiannon hears him, and giggles.

Xxxxx

They spend the day after aimlessly walking around, Parrish refusing to just chill. Theo is sure his body is trying to learn liquefying ways of escaping such torture – why can’t Jordan Parrish stay still for a couple of hours in the same damned place, this is above Theo’s understanding.

He insists they go to the police station, and asks Madison about Rhiannon. Theo is extremely skeptical, he doesn’t see the point at all, considering that they are talking about a twelve years old girl who is extremely unlikely to have any type of penal precedents. In fact, Madison looks at Parrish in a kind of surprised, confused way, as if asking herself what he’s expecting her to find out, exactly. It turns out that, actually there is something to find out: Rhiannon is obviously too young to even have criminal precedents, but her name is in the system, specifically in the one of social services.

“She was adopted when she was 4, but changed foster families at least five times before reaching primary school age. In some cases the families were reported to be abusive families. She was supposed to go live with this one, the last one, but she disappeared before they could meet her. there is no trace of her” Madison explains.

“Well, at least you know where she is. She lives with Jane Lear” Theo replies.

Madison looks conflicted, she feels torn between ignoring the news and calling up someone in social services and informing them. Just so they know, she says. Parrish manages to convince her not to do that, which Theo agrees is the best idea they could have.

When even Madison chases them away from her office, Parrish looks forlornly around, ready to kick the first empty can his feet can reach for, and Theo has to stop himself from laughing at that mental imagine.

“Look, I know this isn’t exactly your idea of fun, but… Would you come with me to see Jake Talent?” Theo proposes. Parrish accepts, even if he snorts, agreeing on that not exactly being high in the list of top things he’d rather spend his days doing.

Jake is still in the morgue. A white coat wearing doctor explains them that his skull has been repeatedly fractured, shows them where. Theo knows better than believing that those were the real causes of death – sure, they would be painful as hell, but a werewolf would have healed. He bends slightly forward, Parrish distracting the doctor enough to give Theo the time to give his still open wounds a good sniff.

Wolfsbane: the scent is so strong that it bothers him, even if he’s technically half immune to it. He can see black liquid frozen on the wounds’ surface.

They leave the morgue, Theo feeling at the same time angry and sad. He wonders if he could sneak somewhere to call Liam, but blushes at the memory of his last call. Parrish comes to his rescue, though, suggesting that they find a private place to spar and spend a few hours like that.

Theo takes that offer in a heartbeat.

When finally night comes, their bruises have healed already, and he’s barely stopped limping after a particularly nasty blow Jordan Parrish has delivered – never trust a boy-scout not to hit you when you’re down, though, truth be said, Theo hasn’t particularly been above doing the same either.

Only sparring with Liam would have been better. But that would have probably led to some other… activities… following, not exactly the kind he would share with officer Parrish.

“Ready?” the hellhound asks, stopping briefly right outside the entrance Rhiannon has told them to use to get in the sewers system, where the werewolf they’re looking for lives.

“You wouldn’t want to roam the sewers for nothing, smelly as they are!” she’s laughed.

Theo feels like hugging her boney self for that precious suggestion.

He nods, following Parrish into the relatively dark conducts. The hellhound walks first, letting his fire gleam through his chest under his skin and ragged V-neck shirt. He’s not bothering with the jacket, and he’s still wearing his jeans shorts, just like Theo himself. He’s also flashing his eyes, as if the glimpses of fire under his skin weren’t enough to signal what he is and alert whoever they encounter.

Walking in the sewers is as unpleasant as he remembered. He doesn’t like the memories the disgusting smells bring up, either. Parrish tries to crack a joke about it being a walk down memory lane for Theo, but the chimera doesn’t answer.

It is, and one he doesn’t enjoy. Parrish apologizes for that, catching his changing chemosignals.

Theo clears his voice, changing topics: “Looks like they’ve cleared the way for us” he says: “I can’t believe they wouldn’t have anyone to watch this shithole”

Parrish snorts: “Nice choice in wording. And I agree. Don you think Rhiannon works for her, too? Or that she was just playing with us?”

“No” Theo answers, quickly: “I can’t tell you why, but I trust her. And I know she could make me trust her, but… I don’t know. She’s scared of these people, she’s afraid they’re going to smarten up and try to use her. That happens plenty of time to the Morrigan, in legends. Humans capture her and try to enslave her… she can’t like that perspective”

Parrish hums.

They stop simultaneously, both hearing at the same time the first heartbeat since they’ve entered the tunnels. They look at each other, sharing a silent conversation. Theo nods, indicating a door. It’s well camouflages, but not as invisible as it was probably meant to be. The heartbeat comes from there.

Parrish calls his fire further out, his touch going scalding hot, and opens the door. Inside there are two bulky bodyguards, humans. He and Theo get easily rid of both. Parrish cools his skin in the process, not wanting to inflict too much damage.

They turn to the open space room, where a tall, middle-aged woman is sighing in a very resigned way.

“Yes, I supposed that was stupid” she says, dumping a gun on the tall, design desk. It clings loudly against the glass surface. She walks towards a small cabinet, grabs a bottle with one hand, three glasses with the others.

“Follow me” she orders them, not bothering to check if they do as she says. Her high heels echoes in the room, and she sits on a comfortable looking couch. She places bottles and glasses on the small coffee table and gestures them towards two armchairs in front of her.

“Please. There’s no point making this more uncomfortable that it needs to be. Have a seat. Would you like a whisky?” she asks, pouring herself a generous dose.

They seat, but refuse her drink.

“Miss Sambe?” Parrish asks.

Audrey Sambe raises her eyebrow in a very pointed way, as if to ask who else officer Parrish was expecting. She must be older than forty, probably close to fifty, but she has the good looks of a dark-skinned woman confident with her own appearances.

Theo has a feeling he’s already seen her, but he can’t remember exactly when or where. He wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out it’s because she was one of the contacts the Dread doctors had in the city: the sewers alone are definitely a pretty good indicator.

“Miss Sambe…” Parrish goes on. The woman’s eyes flash electric blue again, and Theo swears under his breath, glaring at him: “Why don’t you let me handle this, Jordan?”

Parrish clicks his mouth shuts and looks slightly offended, but he does as requested. Theo turns back to the werewolf woman sitting in front of them. She’s smirking, legs crossed in a way that leaves her toned thighs peek out from under her dark, tailored pencil skirt.

“Will you help us?” he asks, bluntly.

She shakes her head: “I don’t like you and I won’t. But I will admit being in a position of disadvantage. Ask me what you want to know. I promise I will be honest with you” she answers.

Theo listens to her heartbeat carefully, she’s not lying. She simply doesn’t want to fight. She looks strong enough for one of them, and maybe, had they come alone, things would go down a different road. As it is, whether she doesn’t want to ruin her manicure or if she doesn’t see the point in initiating a fight she knows she’ll lose, Theo doesn’t care. She will answer, even if she won’t make an effort to help them.

‘That’s just fine for me’ he thinks.

“We need to know who’s controlling the prostitution rings”

She nods: “I don’t. I deal with the fights. I’m not interested in that” she answers. Politely, but obviously not going out of her way to help them. Next to Theo, Parrish bristles in his chair, but doesn’t talk.

“Good. Do you know who does? Think high, someone in a leading position. Or your equivalent” he says.

The woman nods again: “I know someone, yes. Someone my level or higher”

“Are they a supernatural?” Theo asks.

She nods: “What are they?” Theo asks.

“He’s a witch. And he’s going to be interested in you. Both of you” she adds, smirking slightly.

Theo stores that information and asks for a name. 

“He’s called Sleeze. Higher than him, in a position as high as mine, there is Hayden O’Donnell” she answers. She’s not smiling anymore and she looks irritated.

Both are good signs in Theo’s book.

“Where do I find him?” he asks.

She answers him. Theo nods.

“Thank you” he says, standing up. Beside him, Parrish copies him. She nods, swallows and reaches for the bottle of whisky.

“One last question” Theo says, bending forward and grabbing her wrist. He holds her gaze. She swallows again, nervous.

“Yes?” she asks, voice neutral. Her heartbeat speeds up.

“Where do I know you from?” Theo asks, squinting his eyes and smiling in a very innocent way. She doesn’t fall for that, because she’s not stupid.

“I knew the Dread Doctors” she replies, honest, but not particularly revealing.

Theo hums and lets her go. He straightens up and keeps looking at her. She doesn’t move from her position.

“My last question” he says.

She keeps looking at him, face unreadable.

“Can we trust what you told us?” he asks.

She swallows: “Yes”

Theo nods, and they walk away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you into Irish lore: I'm stretching things a bit.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bewitched by witches!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More sex coming through, sorry, excuse me, coming through, coming through!

They don’t talk until they’re finally out of the sewers. Even then, they walk briskly for some meters, entrenched in silence. Theo feels relatively at ease with their last information collected, while Parrish irradiates tension and disappointment. Theo takes the first chance to sneak into a deserted alley, does a quick recognition to check that nobody is around, and shoves slightly at Parrish’s chest.

“Ohi, what’s gotten into you? Did that woman say something you didn’t like?” he asks, sounding more annoyed than he actually is.

Parrish scowls back at him: “Why do you keep making me look like a fool? I’m not a stupid” he protests.

Theo rolls his eyes: “Seriously? Is this it? Tell me this isn’t it”

“I’m a police officer, Theo” he says, eyes darting around and voice lowering to a hushed whisper as he says it, even if they both know this isn’t exactly a secret: “I know how to do basic questioning”

“Nobody is saying you don’t, Jordan” Theo answers, irritated: “but the problem is that you sound exactly like a police officer. And nobody in the line of work of someone like the people we’re talking to like to be felt like they’re being questioned by the police” he explains, trying to stay calm.

Parrish grunts but doesn’t reply. He shrugs off Theo’s approaching arm and exhales loudly, slipping his hands in the front pocket of his jeans: “Yeah, alright. I’m sorry. She got me nervous, I guess”

Theo snorts: “If you’re about to say that sewers make you nervous, that’s two of us”

Parrish snorts a chuckle through his nose, surprised: “I thought you were used to it”

Theo shrugs, walking towards the end of the alley: “I told you. Those aren’t memories I’m particularly fond of. And, you know what? You can only spend so much time in the sewers before deciding you’ll never do that again”

Parrish snorts again, the sound this time sounding more like proper laughter.

“So, I’d say we go directly to this guy” he suggests: “we can ask Madison to check, run him in the system because better safe than sorry, but I’d rather not waste another full day”

Theo nods, agreeing. They call Madison, and she finds a certain Hayden O’Donnell in the system. He’s been good at keeping himself out of the police tracking records.

“His name only appears in one case. He was sued for sexual harassment and attempted rape by a sixteen years old boy. The family sued him. He won the cause, anyway. Paid them so much money they dropped it”

Theo snorts, Parrish humming and wiggling his eyebrows.

“So that’s why Sambe said this guy would be interested in us both” Jordan comments, smirking, when the conversation with Madison is over.

Theo rolls his eyes: “Great, another perv. My favorite thing”

“You mean, after Mark Doyle?” Parrish asks, serious behind the light, joking tone.

Theo scoffs: “He was… you know what, let’s not talk about that. He was pathetic, and he’s dead. This guy, instead, he’s alive and causing trouble”

“And paying his way out of them” Parrish adds, nodding, his serene face clashing with the swirling yellow in his eyes: “Let’s go”

Xxxxx

There is a slight difference between the Audrey Sambe and Hayden O’Donnell live.

Perhaps it’s because Audrey is a middle-aged, hardened werewolf who controls a fighting ring where competitors fight to the death, or perhaps it’s because she gives her best impression of powerful, empowered business woman by dressing up in Chanel and showing off clothes that remain prime and perfect even in a filthy environment.

Or perhaps it’s because O’Donnell is that kind of man who like to live surrounded by beauty in all its form, to the point that he picks leading a prostitution ring (actually: rings, one human, one supernatural) as his line of work.

Whatever it is, when they drive to the place where O’Donnell lives, Theo feels torn between impressed and nauseated at the debauched, exaggerated display of luxury and ostentation. Starting from the fact that this is no house, but rather an actual mansion, O’Donnell clearly likes to show off how wealthy he is. The garden surrounding the villa in the middle of the estate is a dream of vibrant green and water-spurting fountains, now darkened by the night but certainly not looking less impressive for that. The building itself could only be described as a villa, and probably is old enough to have witnessed a couple of historical, central events of American history. There is a ridiculously high gate surrounding the entire property, and bodyguards and security mushrooming around from the most improbable corners.

“Shit, if this guy lives like this, how’s the big boss himself doing?” Parrish mutters, driving with their anonymous, dark Ford along the narrow street that leads to the main entrance.

“I don’t know, my brain right now is still trying to process the fact that this guy knows who we are and lets us in with our car. He must feel really safe” Theo answers, checking the not so hidden security spread over the place.

Parrish hums: “That he must. I bet he knows what we are, and who”

Theo nods, humming in agreement.

“I mean, check this out. Is that a copy of the Canova? And this guy put it as a fountain piece. Poor Mr. Sleeze, all he got was a filthy looking club to run in the seediest part of town”

Parrish chuckles at that. A line of bulky bodyguards pops up and blocks their way, one of them moving forward, gesturing them a spot they are expected to park. Before they can exit the parked car the same guy has approached them and, revealing a talkative streak that would make Derek Hale look extremely chatty, he orders them to follow him.

Theo and Parrish share a curious look and follow him. He leads them through impressively decorated rooms with high ceilings, pictures hanging from the walls looking more expensive than they can imagine, and furniture that scream wealth. Some of the room are lived in, some look straight out from a catalogue of design. There are girls in some, but Theo and Jordan only catch glimpses of their long, bare legs and elegant, if still skimpy, dresses.

The bodyguard they’re following is wearing a tailored dark suit with a dark shirt, and he himself isn’t too hard on the eyes, Theo reckons, taking in how many and where the security cameras and staff are, both the hidden and visible ones.

They are ushered through a preciously inlaid wooden door, the guy simply keeping the door open for them and closing it behind their backs once they’re inside. They don’t bother paying him any attention, though, completely focused on the room itself.

High ceiling, everything covered in precious wood and golden details, silken curtains draped in the most improbable places, and a huge crystal chandelier hanging in the middle. An uninterrupted sequence of small, cozy couches covers the entire perimeter of the room, and a big, sturdy table occupies its middle, surrounded by something like fifteen chairs.

Sitting on one of the couches opposite the main door, a man in his sixties, probably older, smiles at them. He’s wearing black, expensive looking slacks and a bright grey shirt, possibly made of silk. Everything it’s obviously tailored to perfection, and the last few buttons of the shirt are undone, showing waxed, tanned skin.

The man stands, smiling dazzling in a way that’s all power and practiced charm.

Theo blinks, his senses subjugated since entering the mansion, and he realizes that that particularly good smell he’s noticed since stepping out of the car, that particular something that he can’t really pinpoint but that makes him want to strip naked and sprawl out on one of those couches and have those big hands patting him – it’s a spell.

This guy is a witch, he remembers Audrey Sambe saying, and well, whatever magic he has put on the entire place, it’s working on Theo as well. He throws a glance to Parrish and is a bit surprised to see that the hellhound looks very much unaffected, only pissed off. Jordan Parrish is scowling his ‘I’m mad at you and disappointed with your life choices’ scowl. Swirling flames gleam from under his V-neck shirt and exposed skin.

O’Donnell offers them a hand, one each, to shake or kiss, it’s not clear. Parrish doesn’t move, and the witch withdraws the one close to him. He leaves the one close to Theo outstretched, and looks at Theo expectantly, with a knowing smile.

Theo feels too many things at once – he wants to roar, to trash something down, to ruin the beauty and that debauched display of wealth, and mostly he wants to roll over and have that stunning face smile at him with his patronizing smile, he wants those hands to caress him and those fingers in his hair and that voice that he hasn’t heard yet, but he knows it’s deep and silky, he wants to hear it call him a good boy….

He growls, eyes burning bright and fangs peeking out.

O’Donnell laughs out loud and lets his hand fall.

“Oh, you two are fun! Please, be my guest. I’m honored to have such special creatures visiting me. How can I help you? Sit, sit” he insists, gesturing them some of the couches and going back to his previous spot.

Theo and Parrish share a glance, Parrish frowning at Theo in a way that reveals he’s noticed something being wrong with the chimera. Theo’s eyes go wide, as if to say, yes, it could be trouble, but right now I’ve still got it.

He grabs a chair from the table and drags it in front of the witch, placing it not even two meters from him and making a scene of dragging it noisily on the marbled floor.

The witch smirks wider, his darkened eyes completely focused on Theo. Parrish grabs a chair and places it close to Theo’s, but the witch barely spares him a glance.

“I would love to call you pet names, but I think it would be better to start with your name, first” he comments, looking mostly at Theo and only at the last second turning to include Parrish as well.

He’s not hiding his interest for Theo at all.

“Oh, so you don’t know? That’s very disappointing, Mr. O’Donnell. I thought people dealing with magic always knew stuff” Parrish drops casually, faking disappointment in a way that’s too realistic to be fake.

Theo smirks at that, noticing the way O’Donnell clenches his teeth behind his smile.

“Oh, I know that a hellhound and a precious chimera have come to visit. I wouldn’t waste my magic trying to know things that I can simply politely ask them” he replies, emphasizing the polite.

Theo fights against the blush he feels creep up. He swallows and hides behind a glare.

He shouldn’t let this spell affect him this much, and he feels slightly ashamed for the way his body and mind are responding. This isn’t the first time that he’s confronted with magic, especially of the subjugating type. Certainly, it isn’t the first time he’s being seduced, either, and yet here he is, blushing like a virgin in front of a man who is, honestly, definitely more sleazy than poor old Mr. Sleeze.

“Why don’t we skip the preambles and you tell us what we want to know, so we can leave you to your business” Theo states, the suggestion not sounding much like a question and rather like an order.

The witch smiles like a cat playing with the mouse, and a very tasty looking one, at that: “Why would I do that? Why would you think I would ever want you to leave, chimera? Don’t you know how precious you are?” he asks, tipping his head to the side and looking even more like a shark, wide smile and blown pupils.

Theo wants to feel disgusted, with the answer, and outraged with the gut of this man who dares disrespect him so much, and in front of Parrish, too – but the truth is that the spell is working so well because there is a part of his mind, of his sick, twisted mind, a part that Theo has barely ever acknowledged, that likes it, that wants to do it, to roll over, submit, and be called precious. It’s a part that wants to be put on a pedestal and adored, worshipped even as a thing, stripped of his being a person, owned.

He blushes now, but with anger, and grits his teeth together, knowing that getting angry right now is just as bad as getting turned on, and the witch will have no trouble to detect both reactions.

“I don’t get it” Parrish says, stepping in and saving Theo once again. He kips his head and engages the witch’s gaze directly, forcing him to look away from Theo: “how come you get an entire, giant villa, and poor Mr. Sleeze only has a strip club?”

O’Donnell smirks, showing teeth: “That’s simply because the bigger a fish you are, the higher in the hierarchy you get, hellhound”

Parrish smiles, satisfied with the answer, or, more likely, at the way O’Donnell has stressed on the hellhound part. They look at each other as if they were already throwing insults, even if they don’t speak. After a while, Parrish’s eyes glow yellow and red, and the witch laughs, shaking his head.

Theo has the feeling that Parrish just won this round, but he can’t be sure, his brain clouded by the spell induced lust and anger.

“What do you want to know?” the witch asks, relaxing against the back of the couch.

“We’re looking for a girl. Alexis Sanchez, or Warren” Parrish answers, serious.

O’Donnell shakes his head: “No, you’re not. She’s dead and you know it. She didn’t work for me, anyway”

“How do you know?” Parrish asks, with a frown, but Theo bends forward in his seat, capturing all the attention of the witch, and asks: “Why? Aren’t you controlling the prostitution ring of the city?”

O’Donnell smirks again, in that way that makes him look like a shark: “I do, chimera. Humans and supernaturals, take your pick. You want a girl? Although, let me tell you, I would know how to treat you right, so much better than any of them”

Theo ignores it, albeit with some difficulty: “How was she not working for you?” he insists.

O’Donnell sighs and gifts him with a condescending look: “I handle the girls, yes, human and supernaturals. Any kind of supernatural – though most of them are succubi. Alexis, however, has never been under my control. I knew her, everyone did, but she was in the hands of people in higher places. In fact, the highest” he answers, then winks: “I answered you, now you answer me, chimera. Tell me, don’t you want to find out what’s the missing piece to the puzzle of what you are? Because, let me assure you, with the help of my magic, we could find out really easily”

He wiggles his eyebrows and smiles shamelessly: “I wouldn’t even ask anything in exchange for that”

Theo blushes, but he tries to ignore it: “No, thanks, I’m good as I am. So Alexis, she was owned by the big boss in person? Your boss was her boss?” he asks.

O’Donnell snorts: “In a way. And forgive me for not believing you, my precious, but, a curious nature like yours, I can’t believe you would leave anything unexplored” he replies, dropping the comment with a leer smile that isn’t even ambiguous, so clearly allusive it is.

Theo swallows.

Unbidden, his brain is filled with the mental imagine of himself, naked, on an unfamiliar bed. The room is dark, though not completely, and he is chained to sturdy columns of a fourposter bed by his wrists and ankles. Leather handles and metal chains, and Hayden O’Donnell, wearing the same slacks he wears now but with no shirt, looming over him.

Theo beats his lashes and swallows, the fog in his brain too thick. The mental picture doesn’t disperse, and he’s trapped in this sort of a dream, O’Donnell touching him, one of his big hands stroking down his chest, his mouth so close to his ear, murmuring sweet praises and anticipating him what he’s about to do to him.

Theo closes his eyes and physically shakes his head, managing to blink back into reality. Parrish closes his hand around Theo’s wrist and growls at the witch, breaking the spell.

O’Donnell smirks, as if to say, can you blame me?

“The boss” Theo asks, panting slightly, and hating himself for that: “did he use her for his own pleasure?” he asks.

O’Donnell answers with the honesty of someone who doesn’t care if he’s betraying secrets he should protect and has something far more important he really wants to achieve, and makes a dismissive gesture with his and: “Naa. Never used her personally. Although, it was the boss who had a saying in picking her customers. Alexis was supposed to go to whoever the boss decided, and, well. Sometimes her clients died, right after. You know, like she was a sort of good-bye gift” he adds, snorting.

Theo exhales through his nose, and grabs Parrish wrist with the same hand whose wrist Parrish grabbed before, keeping him from punching O’Donnell in the face. Parrish still glares at the witch in such a way that looks very intimidating, but O’Donnell doesn’t seem to feel threatened by a pissed off hellhound. Instead he chooses to turn all his attention back on Theo.

“My precious, tell me. I have answered your question. Won’t you answer one of mine?”

Theo is tempted to answer, no. He knows he should stand up and leave. He knows he should leave right the fuck now. He knows he should run, bolt out of this place, before this man closes that big hand around his throat and squeezes and lures him into submission.

He’s panting, blinking rapidly, the spell eating at his consciousness.

‘Liam’ he thinks, desperately trying to remember blue eyes and red lips, blond hair and the strong hands of a werewolf boy looking like a justice god.

The witch scoffs, leaning forward. The same fog creeps back into Theo’s vision and he’s transported again in that room, naked, chained to a bed and at the complete mercy of his owner.

‘No, No, Liam, Liam…’ he thinks.

In the dream, O’Donnell bends down and licks one of his hardened nipples, one of his hand sliding into Theo’s hair and pulling, the other scratching his skin with blunt nails down until he reaches his navel, and there he starts stroking Theo’s leaking erection.

Theo, in the dream, trashes against his restraints and pants, mewls and begs, and, in reality, he tries to blink his eyes open and into focus, looking as if air was failing him, face red with overwhelming lust.

“Please… No, Liam…please” he begs, whispering.

There is a loud smacking sound, and Theo is transported back to reality with a strength and speed that leave him panting for air. He blinks his eyes until he can see the hunched form of Jordan Parrish, kneeling in front of him. He can feel Parrish’s scalding hands on his arms, he can feel the not gentle way he’s shaking him.

Struggling to breathe, he looks around, and sees one very unconscious looking O’Donnell sprawled on the floor, with a bleeding nose and a fiery red indentation across his face left by what looks like a couples of enflamed punches from one very pissed off hellhound.

Theo gasps out a laughter at that and meets Parrish’s eyes. He blushes, but tries to ignore it.

“Thanks Jordan” he croaks, meaning it.

Parrish smirks: “Naa, I mean, I’m sorry I’ve let him do that to you for so long, but… At least I got to punch him”

Theo smiles again. Parrish helps him out of the chair and insists to make sure Theo can stand without any dizziness of similar, then, as soon as that’s covered, they bolt out of the room, sneaking out of the mansion and slipping back into the car almost unseen.

Some of the girls actually spot them, and any doubt Theo had regarding their willingness to work in this organization vanishes when he makes eyes contact with two of them. The girls notice the way they're running, two giant bodyguards hot on their heels. They calmly appraise Theo and Parrish as if to judge their chances to make it out the villa on their own, then grab the bodyguards that were running after them and kiss them into unconsciousness.

Theo and Parrish rush out of the building without having a proper chance to thank them, but, well. Hopefully they’ll understand.

Xxxxx

Back to their hotel, Parrish parks the car in their usual spot. The night is almost over, the first lights of dawns coloring up the sky. Exhausted and satisfied, they walk tiredly to the hotel.

Before they make it through the entrance door, though, they notice a tiny figure leaning with her back on the wall, bright, bi-colored pigtails and a short miniskirt, waiting for someone.

Rhiannon smiles when she sees them, popping a lollipop out of her mouth.

“Hi boys!” she welcomes her. The lollipop has colored her tongue blue. Theo hopes it’s the lollipop, and not that she’s tried to dye another part of her body red and blue.

Parrish snorts: “You listen to me, little miss, you’ve got to stop with this hooker-wannabe vibe you’re trying to go for. This isn’t healthy”

Rhiannon ignores him, apart from rolling her eyes: “Did you have a nice chat wit Mr. Creeper?” she asks, grinning especially Theo’s way.

He blushes deeply, more than glad never to think about that dream ever again: “You could have said something” he mutters, scowling at her.

She shrugs, her lollipop still firmly in her hand, and crosses her arms on her chest: “Can’t help you all the time, boys. I do what I can” she replies, a bit on the defensive side.

Theo snorts: “Yeah, alright. I know. Anyway. We’re kind of stuck” he explains, looking at Parrish and then back at her: “we don’t really know where we can go from here”

“The only option would be as high in the pyramid as possible” Parrish adds, looking pointedly at the girl.

She beams, gloating: “Then you’ll definitely want to know what I’ve just dreamt about” she replies.

And guess what? She knows where the big boss lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk about a flaming reaction.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Expect the unexpected

That night Parrish falls asleep with the most enviable ease in the world. Theo throws a jealous glare to his back, the light snoring and random rustling of sheets quiet in the silent room, and yet for Theo it’s like the noisiest sound ever.

At some points he sighs, rolling his eyes to the ceiling and clasping his fingers behind his head. He has to accept the idea that he’s tossing and turning in this relatively comfortable hotel bed (he has definitely slept on worse) because of that dream O’Donnell the witch has slipped into his mind.

Coming to terms with the fact that there is a part of him that, indeed, might enjoy being tied down, restrained and bossed around – that’s not exactly pleasant, if you’re an engineered creature that has always had to live under conditions dictated by other people, never felt free to take a single decision, and, even when pursued the path of freedom, failed miserably at staying alive. He doesn’t dislike the idea, per se, especially if the one pushing him around is Liam – although he refuses to use any word related to domination, just like he refuses to think of himself as anything submissive.

The thing is that he wonders if Liam would be up to anything similar. He sighs, thinking of their embarrassing attempt at phone sex the night before. A smile creeps up on his face, and he has to bite his lip to keep from giggling at the memory. Ok, that has been hot, actually. Probably embarrassing, even more than he would admit, but hot. Embarrassing because it has been incredibly fast, like they’d both been two inexperienced, very horny teenagers – which they are, though, not that unexperienced. And anyway, what they haven’t tried yet, Theo plans to cover it as soon as he’s back to Beacon Hills. He just wonders – Liam has shown no problem calling him baby, or taking the lead. Whenever they fight, or spar, or even kind of fight in their sort of rough foreplay – Liam never has a problem taking the lead, although Theo doesn’t like to end up with Liam on top every time, so he never lets him win.

But he has no qualm admitting that is always hot. He’s just never imagined himself pushing farther than that, farther than being restrained by Liam’s already very strong hands, pushed down by his bulky arms, held in place while the boy fucks him – aaand maybe it’s better if he doesn’t undertake that particular memory trip, he thinks, slipping one hand down to adjust himself in his boxers. To keep from giving in to temptation he slides it back up under his head, fingers clasped once again.

He closes his eyes, breathes deeply, willing his body to relax.

No, Liam wouldn’t have any issue, probably, if Theo asked to be handled more… roughly. But he’s curious, and he doesn’t think he could postpone the matter until he’s back in Beacon Hills.

And he would feel way better, knowing that, the way his body has responded to the magic induced dream, so incredibly fast and willing, that hasn’t been in any way related to any kind of attraction to Hayden O’Donnell, the witch. A part of Theo feels like he needs proving to himself that the idea of Liam being the one doing those things to him instead of O’Donnell would make him react even more.

He bites his lip, throwing a cautious glance Parrish’s way, but the hellhound is still soundly asleep. He rolls on his side, grabs his phone, checks that it still is on silent mode, and types quickly.

‘How’d you feel if I asked you to be more rough in bed?’

He looks at the time. It’s late, and Liam is probably asleep. Tomorrow he has school, and even practice, before class. He should be sleeping.

And yet, he sees the dots signaling an answer is on its way. He can’t help the rather idiotic grin, the one that Liam calls ‘adorable’ and that Theo doesn’t like to define as such, given how many times he’s used it in the past for nasty purposes.

‘HOLY SHIT THEO’ is the answer from Liam.

Theo grins, gloating and happy, and not even sure why he is. Maybe it’s just the thought of Liam waking up in the night, or anyway, just picking up his phone while tossing and turning in bed, and reading the suggestion.

He has no problem recognizing his own scent spiking up with lust, just like he can guess that the same is happening to Liam, only more. Liam doesn’t know where this is coming from, and could think that Theo might be doing literally everything at the moment. Should he hint that he’s een touching himself?

‘Oh my god, Mark Doyle was right after all, I am a slut’ he thinks, giggling in a way he would never allow himself out loud.

More dots. He waits for Liam to write again. Shortly after, Liam’s further response arrives.

‘Where is this coming from? Also, yes, totally’

Pause, maybe one second. Possibly less.

‘If that’s something you’re into, obviously’

Pause again. Less than two seconds for sure.

‘If you’re not, that’d be 100% ok’

Theo snorts very, very quietly, and types back.

‘I’m the one who brought it up, remember?’

Pause. Longer.

‘SHIT’

‘FUCK THEO’

‘OH GOD’

‘I FUCKING HATE you I will never fall asleep now’

‘When are you coming back baby please, tell me Parrish can finish up alone, tell me you’ll be here sooooon’

Theo has to really, really make an effort to keep from bursting up in a fit of laughter (or giggles? Please, let it not be giggles) at that. He manages, but still throws a careful glance at the other bed, whose occupant is still sleeping.

‘I’ll be back soon’ he types: ‘And then you can do whatever you want to me’

He hits send with one of the smuggest expressions he remembers ever doing.

‘SHIT’

‘How do you expect me to sleep after this!?’

Theo grins devilishly. Ok, he’s having fun, he can admit this.

‘Maybe I like torturing you’ he types.

He sobers up and double looks at his own word. Shit, he hopes Liam doesn’t react the wrong way – will this bring up bad memories?

‘Ohhhh you’re on’ Liam writes back, and Theo relaxes at the cheeky response.

‘Is there something in particular you want to try?’ the werewolf asks: ‘and can I know where this is coming from?’

Theo shakes his head, his finger hovering over the keyboards. Part of him is sure he’ll feel better once he’s told Liam.

‘Went to question one of the bad guys. He’s a gay witch and he slipped some really interesting ideas into my head’

Pause. Theo frowns, wondering if he’s said too much. He reads his message twice and three times.

‘I don’t know if I want to murder him for looking at you, or thanking him for the idea’

Theo smiles: ‘Parrish punched him for you, if it makes you feel better’

‘Good. I knew I liked Parrish for a reason’

‘I thought you hated him for taking me away from BH?’

‘Well, obviously. But, he’s made it up to me. When are you coming back?’

Theo shakes his head, smiling fondly at the screen. He looks at Parrish’s still sleeping form, and through the windows over his bed. The night is long gone, the dawn moving into the earlier hours of the morning. The city starts to wake up, growing noisier.

‘Soon’ he promises.

Then he puts the phone back on his night table and tries to sleep at least a bit.

Xxxxx

“Are you sure that that is the place?” Madison asks again, looking at both Parrish and Theo with disbelieving eyes and a tiny worried expression.

They share a glance, Theo shrugging. He turns his back to the police officers and moves a few steps from them.

“Rhiannon, are you sure?”

The girl on the other side of the phone call whines annoyed: “Yes, Theo, I am sure. I can imagine that it doesn’t look a tiny bit suspicious, but, yes, it’s that one. The big boss, as you insist to call him, lives there” she confirms.

Theo can see her making air quotes with her fingers at ‘big boss’. He winces.

“Yeah, we should have come up with a better name. So we will find him there, right?” he repeats, looking at Parrish and Madison.

“Yup. Oh, and, Theo? He might… not exactly look like what you think” she adds, sounding amused, but he doesn’t have the time to ask what she means because she drops the call.

Xxxxx

“So… looks like Mr. Sleeze is the only one without a villa in the entire organization” Theo muses, slipping his hands in the front pocket of his jeans.

This time they showed up unannounced, their car parked close to the gate of the ridiculously huge and even more ridiculously expensive looking mansion where the mastermind of the criminal organization of the city lives. Theo tries not to call him ‘big boss’ anymore, put, at this point, considering that this is, hopefully, the end of this gig, it makes no sense to come up with another name. Right?

They chose the darkest hours of the night, but the area surrounding the estate is pretty well lit anyway, in a strategic, intelligent and careful way. Theo approves, and even Parrish, lips in a thin line, has to admit that sneaking in is not going to be easy.

But, apparently, even the genius who programmed the security system of the villa wasn’t ready for Jordan Parrish. He shrugs at Theo’s gaping expression with a totally smug smile: “What? I was in the army” he offers as only explanation.

Theo snorts.

Even once they’re inside their problems aren’t exactly over. The place is in overflow, full of bodyguards, security cameras, more bodyguards. Some are even wearing camouflaging uniforms. Most of them have guns longer than Theo’s arm, and he shakes his head in disbelief.

He looks Parrish’s way, ready to ask why the hell this guy has more security than Guantanamo, when he meets Parrish’s beaming face.

“You’re having fun” he accuses the overexcited hellhound.

“Oh, I’m sorry, ok? I just missed the sneaking into buildings with more security than actual walls. I don’t get much of this type of action in Beacon Hills” he replies, a sheepish smile and a blush.

Theo rolls his eyes.

“Whatever. What do we do? We don’t even know how this guy looks like. We just know Rhiannon said he looks… not what we expect”

“Well, what do you expect?” Parrish asks, as if the question was obviously the first step: “me, myself, I expect him to be the classic mafia guy. You know, a bit like the Godfather movie. Maybe less Italian and more supernatural”

Theo hums: “Yeah, me too, more or less. So it’s going to be the opposite. But I don’t think he’s human. He must be supernatural, even if that’s what we expect” he reasons.

Parrish nods: “He couldn’t handle an organization with supernaturals working for him otherwise. Not guys like O’Donnell”

Theo agrees, and grimaces: “Can you please don’t mention that creep to me?”

“Sorry” Parrish replies, honest.

Theo snorts: “At least you got to punch him” he grumbles.

“Sorry” Parrish repeats, this time grinning in a totally unapologetic way.

Theo doesn’t rise to the bait – fine, he might gnaw at the inside of his cheek until it almost bleeds, but, still, he doesn’t reply to that, and focuses back again on their task: how to find the big boss and make him confess.

“What did your colleagues say they need as evidence?” he asks Parrish again.

He shrugs: “Anything that proves direct involvement. Best thing usually are invoices, bank statements. If you can prove that money moved in an illicit way, that’s an easy way to start” the hellhound explains.

He presses to the closest wall and turns to Theo, gesturing towards the closest stairs: “Look, see those guys? Those are private military. We don’t want to get caught by them”

Theo nods: “Received. What about” he sticks his head out from their hiding spot and points towards another direction: “Those guys? Their guns are shorter”

Parrish snorts: “Yes, but, you see that thing like a badge they wear on their arm? That means they’re trained to kill. They won’t try to catch us, they’ll simply kill us on sight”

Theo makes a delighted sound: “Fantastic. This is improving by the minute. What about those guys there?” he asks, pointing at another group of bodyguards, these looking slightly more familiar… of course they are: the smell of wolfsbane comes off strongly from them, as soon as the wind changes.

“Fuck, never mind. They’re hunters”

Parrish sighs, annoyed: “Great. Hey, wait! Look” he whispers, hurriedly pointing his hand in direction of a tiny figure who’s walking up the stairs.

It’s a woman, probably in her fifties, dressed in an elegant, dark suit. It’s buttoned only midway on her chest, revealing only a semitransparent camisole under, and very generous breasts. She moves with confidence and ease, clearly knowing her way. Whenever she meets or makes eye-contact with any of the security staff, she looks away with a slightly disgusted expression.

“My money is on her being our best shot” Parrish whispers, turning back to Theo with a beaming smile. Theo nods and sniffs the air, trying to understand if this lady is a supernatural. She’s too far, but he thinks he recognizes the scent anyway, under the heavy perfume.

“I think she’s a succubus”

“Great, maybe she knows stuff then!” Parrish says.

They sneak to the stairs. It’s not easy to slip past the trenches of security goons while at the same time not losing sight on the tiny lady, but they manage. They crawl up a wall – there is this terrible moment where their only chance is to hang from the ceilings and hold onto them only by means of their extended claws, and climb upside down all the way from one side of the hall to the other, all the while slipping unseen by the many heavily armed goons guarding the hall.

They land with a soft thud and an elated smile they share – their eyes screaming a litany of ‘can you believe it, we did it, oh my god that was so cool, I can’t believe we’re alive!’. They have also landed barely one meter from the lady, who covers her mouth to keep from shouting and looks at them with alarmed, wide eyes.

Theo and Parrish both simultaneously bring their hands forward, fingers splayed in a show of innocence.

“Shht! Don’t shout!” they whisper hurriedly.

She removes her own hands, looking at them curious: “Who… who are you?” she asks. Her eyes sparkle as she has recognized them, and Theo guesses that she probably has realized they aren’t human.

“We’re here for the boss” Parrish explains.

She raises an eyebrow and looks unimpressed. Theo snorts: “Yeah, he means, you’re a succubus, aren’t you?” he asks, wincing – usually he’s so much smoother than this.

She places her hands on her hips with a challenging expression: “And you’re the chimera and the hellhound asking about Alexis. I’ve heard of you. The entire organization is talking about you two”

Parrish salutes her with two fingers at his temple: “Yep, it’s us”

“We are working on Alexis’ case” Theo replies, ignoring him: “she died a few weeks ago, in Beacon Hills. But we found out that she’s been exploited for years, here, by this organization. We can take them down. We want justice for people like Alexis” he explains – Parrish beams at his side at hearing Theo say the magic word, justice.

Theo ignores his smiling face, focused entirely on the skeptical looking woman.

“Can you help us finding what we need?” Theo asks, ignoring him: “if you’re a succubus, you can’t tell me you like working for this organization”

She snorts: “That’s an understatement” she replies. She doesn’t add anything but looks like she’s mulling over something. Theo knows they haven’t done the best job at securing her trust, or even at making sure that she won’t call the security or have them walk into a trap. He’s counting entirely on her being a succubus, and succubi being exploited in this system.

‘That’s a bit feeble’ he almost winces, scolding himself.

“I can help you” she says, after a while: “my name is Mary Jane. I knew Alexis. We were… family” she explains, looking like she’s struggling for words: “follow me” she hastily says, and turns back.

She leads them through halls that are surprisingly empty. She smiles knowingly at their surprised expressions: “You two are lucky. There are barely two minutes during which this floor is uncovered by security, and it’s now” she explains.

“Lucky us, uh?” Parrish grins at Theo.

‘Maybe’ Theo thinks, only, he doesn’t believe in luck. He looks at Mary Jane, but she has already started to walk again. She’s fast, for someone walking on shoes with stiletto heels ten centimeters high, and she moves in a confident way that screams into Theo’s mind – but he’s already gone so far, he can’t stop right now.

And if they’re walking into a trap, at least they know how to fight their way out of it.

He hastily throws a glance towards Parrish. The hellhound is still beaming, but there is a hard look in his eyes, a yellow hue surfacing from under the aqua.

‘So it’s not just me. He doesn’t believe her either’

Mary Jane opens a richly decorated door and nervously glances around. She gestures them to go inside and they do. She slips in as well, and closes the door behind herself.

It’s a study room, big, rich, all polished wood painted white and gold. There is a huge fireplace on one side of the room, a thick carpet in front of it, a big, wooden chest close to the main desk. Theo and Parrish move further into the room, sliding back against back right in the middle. The only way out is covered by the woman, who is taking her time turning to face them.

When she does, she’s smiling softly. Her eyes are warmth, and there is nothing on her face that looks even remotely similar to the shark-like expression O’Donnell looked them with, and, even so, Theo feels an unpleasantly cold shiver running down his back. Parrish slides beside him, shoulder against shoulder, and frowns deliberately at her.

“Oh, hellhound, don’t look at me like that! You walked willingly into this” the woman, Mary Jane, laughs. As she does so, something changes in her face, and Theo can see the charm she has kept wrapped over her face, as a mask vanishing.

Long blond hair and bright eyes, a smile with full lips and the beauty only a succubus can have.

And a face Theo and Parrish have seen more than once, especially on papers, starting from that time on a morgue’s report.

“You said Alexis was family” Theo starts, and he cannot believe he’s been this stupid.

Good thing he’s also thought that, worst case scenario, they knew how to fight their way out of troubles – because, it looks like they have deliberately walked into the very worst case scenario, alright.

She laughs again. The sound is as perfect as you would expect, coming from a creature that enchants and lures its prey. Theo glares harder, refusing to fall for another luring spell after O’Donnell.

“Well, she was. She still is, even dead. I’m still her mother” she admits, shrugging carelessly.

She takes a step towards them. Theo feels a foreign presence try to prod at his mind, a warm blanket of dizziness slowly taking over him. His body feels heavy and tired, and his brain starts to slip out of focus. Mary Jane the succubus walks closer and closer, strutting in an absolutely sexy way, her gingers slowly undoing the buttons of her top and pushing it down her shoulders.

She looks at them both, and Theo tries to shake himself, but it’s difficult, when all his brain can think of is how smooth that skin looks, how soft those breasts must be, how good a kisser this woman must be.

‘No, no way, you’re not going to make me fall for that twice in a row’ he thinks, angry, and extends his claws into the meat of his enclosed fists. The harsh smell of blood clears up his brain, and he shakes his head, growling louder at the approaching succubus. Her eyes are glowing a dark red now, darker than any alpha’s, and she smiles showing fangs.

Theo readies himself for a fight, extracting his claws from his own palms and letting his fangs out. Beside him, Parrish growls softly, his clothes starting to burn and vanish, devoured by flames.

The succubus snarls at them and lunges to Theo. He ducks, avoiding her clawed hands, but she’s fast, slips past Parrish outstretched arms and attacks Theo again, pushing him down on the floor with unexpected strength. He rolls to the side and dodges her clawed fist, but her second blow hits him square on the nose.

He howls in pain, his nose bleeding, and he’s too late to avoid her second attack. Her claws dig into the skin of his chest, holding him still. She hisses, showing fangs, and makes a move to tear at his throat. She never reaches him, though, her eyes opening wide in pain as she screams, Jordan’s arms sneaking up around her middle and keeping her close to his chest.

Theo stops moving, blinking up at the image of the beautiful succubus burning alive in Parrish’s unyielding arms. She’s screaming, there are voices and hurried steps of people running their ways, but no one can save her. Theo looks past her long, burning hair, and makes eye-contact with Jordan. He looks calm, pacific even, and holds his gaze until the succubus in reduced to ashes, that mostly fall over Theo’s supine body.

By the time the door is slammed open they can also hear the sirens od the first police cars from right outside the villa. Parrish looks at the first armed goons with a flat, unimpressed stare, the hunters pointing their rifles at him. The flames die, and he looks back down at Theo, offering him a way up.

The hunters shout at them, demanding that they surrender. Parrish flashes red-yellow eyes at them, looking like an annoyed god who’s being bothered by noisy, boring worshippers.

“The police is already outside. This office is literally full of any type of evidence we can use. You’re already in the worst shit possible. Just, shut the fuck up, would you?” he demands.

He slips his and in the pocket of his jeans and takes out his cigarette box. He shows it to Theo.

“Do you mind?” he asks, pointedly ignoring the hunters.

Theo snorts, making a show of shaking the ashes of the former succubus off his clothes.

“Be my guest” he replies.

Parrish shrugs and lights up his cigarette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue coming up


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The epilogue is here.

The Los Angeles Police Department isn't too happy with Jordan Parrish and his not-yet-official partner Theo Raeken, who has raised suspiciousness since day 1 they arrived in town. The LA sheriff has seen a long list of shady shit, he's had the displeasure to witness cases that only could be solved bringing in people who weren't exactly professionals, and having to cover them up with the extremely ambiguous term of consultant. Even so, this Theo Raeken is so young, looks even younger, the Sheriff had almost told Parrish to go back to Beacon Hills. Leave the nasty cases of prostitution traffic to the experts. 

And instead, here these two idiots go, dismantling the entire organization, bringing in people and names, not afraid to face any kind of fire those people might be able to send after the two of them, even from jail.

The Sheriff nods to himself, watching the two youths mount back in Parrish's police car. No, really, age hasn't been an issue for these two. He wonders if he can get himself a 'consultant' as good as that Theo Raeken. Maybe Sheriff Stilinski might be up for a temporary swap? Or he could always borrow the guy...

Xxxxx

"I'm still sad we didn't get to say hi to Rhiannon after that"

Jordan Parrish snorts loudly in the car: "Not what we were expecting alright. And it serves us right for not thinking about the chance it might be a woman! What the fuck was I thinking"

Theo grins: "Yes, well, it's because everything in that organization was so stereotypical, we must have assumed even the big bad boss would be according to a stereotype" he offers. 

This is the lamest explanation he could come up with, yes, he knows, but, he's still pretty ashamed of himself, too. It's not like he's never heard, seen or met criminal organizations led by women, for heaven's sake. He should have known. He knows he should have known. He tries not to blush and by chiding Parrish he tries to smother that part of himself nagging at him he should have known.

"Sorry you had to go for the kill, by the way" Theo apologizes, after a few seconds of silence. 

Parrish shrugs. It strikes Theo - this isn't a very 'Parrish' kind of reaction. Usually the hellhound has a moral code as pure as Scott's own, and that he shrugs off a killing... But, Theo reasons, it wouldn't be so surprising. Even after the pile of shit that Parrish has witnessed, first in the army and then serving as a officer in Beacon Hills, it's as if only now, only in Los Angeles, he's been finally reached by something, that has tainted his pure of heart, prince charming type of ethic. 

Theo wonders from a brief, brief moment, if it's his fault. If he's had any part in pushing him to turn into his hard-hearted counterpart.

'Or maybe that's simply egocentric, uh?' he chides himself, a slow grin spreading on his face, almost unknowingly.

From his seat and despite being busy with the actual driving, Parrish notices. He raises a questioning eyebrow, to which Theo just shakes his head. The hellhound snorts and grins, but let's it go. Theo is once again amazed at how attuned to each other they've become. He feels tempted to think that Jordan actually knows what he is thinking - although that doesn't really matter, in the big picture.

Theo rolls a window down and plops his elbow on the freshly created resting spot, half leaning out of the window. His favorite spot, in a police car. Or, whenever he's in a car that he's not driving.

"So, now that justice has been done I trust you won't show up at my place or Liam's and try to drag me away, again, right?" he asks, only a little sarcastic.

Jordan frowns, failing miserably to cover his glee: "Why Theo, are you really telling me you have something better to do with Liam that tops saving people's lives? Answering the call of justice?" 

Theo snorts and grimaces: "Well, if you put it on the people's lives thing, I might feel compelled to say no, but, the rest... Yes, I definitely do" 

"Really? Like what?"

"Like Liam" Theo answers, perfect deadpan.

Jordan Parrish bursts out laughing, and can't argue with that.

Xxxxx

It takes them another four and a half hours of non-stop driving before they make it to Beacon Hills. Theo's phone has long since died and he asks Parrish to just drop him at home. He thinks he'll call Liam as soon as he's plugged his phone with its charger. 

He watches Parrish drive away and turns, pushing the door of his condo open. He stops and frowns, hand still on the door handle, nose hit with a strong wave of list, home... And Liam. 

Beaming impossibly, Theo raises his head, and, yes, there he is, his amazing, beautiful, stunning, werewolf boyfriend, beaming back like a madman and barely restraining himself from snapping the handrail in pieces where he's clutching it.

"Hi" Theo says, from some stairs down, and Liam blushes slightly and grins: "Hi, yourself" he replies. Then he makes a gesture with his hand: "Come on up, come on!" 

He disappears back inside Theo's flat. The chimera grins knowingly, and tries to walk upstairs with his usual pace, but finds himself almost running and taking two steps up a time. He reaches the door without a trace of fatigue in his breathing, eyes gleaming, and Liam back on the threshold, smiling smugly.

Theo opens his mouth, trying to go for whatever reply will wipe the smug look from Liam's face, although, who is he kidding? He loves that look on Liam's face - but Liam doesn't let him, he grabs him by the lapels of his leather jacket and drags him through the door, closes it with a kick and slams Theo back against it.

With so much strength that this does leave Theo a little winded. He almost lets out a little 'oof' from the hard impact his back makes with the door, but Liam once again doesn't give him the time, attaching his mouth to Theo's and using the parting momentum of Theo's lips to gain entry.

The 'oof' sound Theo half-emitted turns into a moan, the chimera's hands fisting roughly the fabric of Liam's shirt and then sliding under it, fingers opening wide to touch as much skin as possible. Liam kisses almost brutally, moving his head and transmitting silent orders to Theo to follow every beckoning gestures. Theo gladly does, relaxing his shoulders against the wooden panel of the door, pushing his hips forward to meet Liam's. 

Liam, who is hard, and pushes against Theo's own growing bulge. Theo smirks into the kiss, and Liam growls, taking a step back and looking at him with a glare.

Theo's smirk disappear, when he takes in the lust in Liam's eyes. The werewolf pushes himself away from Theo, his blue eyes blown black ravaging him and all but stripping him already. He makes a displeased sound and waves at Theo's chest.

"Get out of those clothes or I'll rip them off of you" he orders.

Theo's mouth goes dry. He swallows and nods, hands shaking as he complies. He pushes his jacket and shirt off, letting them fall with a softened this on the floor. He steps out of his shoes and takes care of the remaining of his clothes. Liam watches his every movement, and Theo feels too exposed, too raw, to even try and make it a sexy striptease, he just hurries to get naked.

When Theo is finally done, standing naked in front of the closed door, Liam smirks, smug and satisfied, his eyes full of promises that make Theo shiver.

"God Theo, look at you" he whispers: "you're so beautiful, baby boy" 

Theo swallows, blushing slightly. 

"You want me to be rough with you, Theo?" Liam whispers, his voice the softest, most enticing sound Theo has ever heard, and it strips Theo of any ability he might still have had, makes him unable to reply or argue or - he shivers, swallows, knowing that he must be blushing, and nods.

Liam takes a step forward, his clothed chest tantalizing close to Theo's naked one, but not touching him yet. Theo pushes himself against him, diving against him. Liam groans, his arms enveloping Theo in a hug, keeping him close and safe. He slides a hand in Theo's hair and kisses, demanding. Theo moans softly, hands sneaking around Liam's torso and neck.

"I'm going to suck you off, Theo" Liam whispers, against his lips: "you're going to stay still against that door, with your hands over your head, and I'm going to suck you off. I'll take my time, I'll enjoy every second of it, and you'll stay put and let me"

Theo nods furiously, blushing madly. 

When Liam does it, it's so good it's almost torture. Liam takes his time, as promised, savors every second of having Theo's hard cock in his mouth, and drives Theo crazy with his tongue and mouth, taking him in deeper and deeper. Theo tries to hold as still as humanly and supernaturally possible, whimpering and moaning, already not above begging for release.

"Liam" he pants, his clawed hands still held over his head, closing and opening on unyielding nothingness: "Liam, please, please, I'm close, I'm so close"

Liam slides Theo's cock our of his mouth with a loud pop and licks at the underside of the tip, driving Theo mad with the stimulation: "Don't come" he orders: "Theo, don't come"

The back of Theo's head hits the door with a thud and he whines, almost going on the tip of his feet and toes curling at the assault Liam's driving on his senses. He pants and moans and closes his hands, claws deep in their palms. The pain grounds him for a second, only to turn against him and add to the sensual assault right after.

"Don't" Liam orders, his mouth still half full, sucking Theo and then popping it back out: "don't hurt yourself"

Theo whines, his claws immediately retracting. He can feel his abused skin healing already, and Liam doesn't slow down in his ministration. Theo feels sick with lust, and looks down at Liam.

Bad move: he's faced with Liam's big blue eyes, his red mouth stretched around Theo's cock, dribbling spit without a care as he takes him in. Theo closes his eyes and tips his head back again, moaning - he would call himself an idiot for looking down at Liam, he should've expected him to look that sinful, but he's past thinking by now. 

"Liam, Liam, Liam please" Theo chants.

Liam, still with Theo's cock in his mouth,sucks harder and moans, popping it out a third time: "Nu-uh Theo, don't you dare" he whispers, swallows him again. Theo thinks he might die, and whines trying to express his predicament, when he feels one of Liam's finger slither up his tight and between his cheeks. 

He looks down, mouth open - surely Liam won't be this cruel? And finds Liam grinning madly around the cock in his mouth.

"Hold yourself open for me Theo" he whispers, going back to suck Theo immediately after talking. 

Theo's eyes go wide, his face almost begging, but Liam frowns, and that's all Theo needed before capitulating and obeying. He swallows and lowers his hands, grabbing his cheeks and spreading them, holding himself open for Liam's finger as Liam has requested. Liam fucks into him with slow but steady drags, each time hitting Theo's prostate, sucking him with no sign of wanting to slow down, let alone stop. 

Theo whines and gasps, begging and pleading, trembling more and more, until Liam finally stops sucking him for a moment, just the time to murmur, Theo, come.

And Theo does. He lets go and arches his back, head hitting the door almost painfully, almost blacking out in the wave of pleasure that rushes through him. Liam milks his every drop, swallowing, and keeps hitting Theo's prostate with his finger until it's almost too much, then he stops.

He sits back on his heels, looking up at Theo's naked and trembling body, smiling smugly. He sits on the floor, whipping his cock out, pushing jeans and boxers down, and gestures Theo with his chin.

"Come here, baby" he says, inviting.

Theo almost collapses in a crouch over Liam's front and swallows him down, stopping only when the tip of Liam's cock hits the back of his throat. He whines, looking up at Liam with eyes already filling up with tears the gagging provoked, a silent plea on his face.

Liam slides a hand in his hair, panting with his reddened mouth: "You want me to fuck your face, Theo?" he asks, slightly awed.

Theo whines and nods. He pops Liam's dick out and beats his lashes, whispering coy: "Please, Little Wolf"

Liam swears, grabs the back of Theo's head and pushes him down. He fucks Theo's face, alternatively fucking his hips up into Theo's lax mouth or pushing his head down, impaling him on his dick. Theo moans, his eyes watering up, focuses on breathing and lets himself enjoy it, lets Liam enjoy it, until he can tell Liam is close to come. He slides Liam's dick out only at the last second, when Liam's and are already clutching and spasming, letting Liam's cum cover him face. He closes his eyes only to spare them from the droplets, but opens them as soon as he knows Liam's done.

They're both panting, Liam chuckling softly, fingers wiping his own cum from Theo's face.

"I've missed you" he murmurs, tired and loving. 

Theo grins, feeling just as tired and in live: "How much?" he asks, cheeky: "enough for round two?"

Liam laughs and pulls him up to his face, kissing him: "I'm up if you are" he promises.

Theo just grins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it folks!


End file.
